Tell Me a Story
by The Girl on Fiendfyre
Summary: There was no doubt in anyone's mind that Cato Einhardt and Clove Windsor would eventually stop circling one another and become the golden couple of North Hills High. But then, the summer before senior year, everything changed. Cato/Clove, Modern-day AU.
1. Chapter One: Preamble

**Preamble**

-Let Me Tell you a Story-

* * *

Everybody knows that Cato Einhardt and Clove Windsor are meant to be. Best friends from childhood along with Glimmer van Hoosen, Cato and Clove were and continue to be complete opposites.

Whereas Cato was the charming, golden boy of North Hills, Clove was the bossy, beloved queen. And while Cato was tall and bronzed with golden hair and blue eyes to boot, Clove was delicate with dark hair and fair skin. And while Cato was laidback and relatively friendly, Clove was sarcastically witty and high-strung.

But Cato and Clove had always had some sort of chemistry that their peers had not failed to notice. Since adolescence, it was naturally assumed that Cato and Clove would attend all social functions as each other's dates. Girls knew not to get too close to Cato, and boys learned that when it came to Clove, you could look- but never touch. Nevertheless, the two of them had never taken the final step and became a couple.

And yet, there was no doubt in anyone's mind that Cato and Clove would eventually stop circling one another and become the golden couple of North Hills Prep and then proceed to lead the free world together after graduation.

So during the summer before senior year, when Cato Einhardt and Glimmer van Hoosen lost their virginity _to each other_, you could pretty much say that everything went to shit.

* * *

**AN:/ So for some reason, this plot popped into my head yesterday. And I know I still have Heartlines to finish, but that's my baby, and I'm afraid to screw it up. I don't write anything for that story until I'm positive about my storyline. So in the mean time, enjoy this modern-day AU. I tried to write something decidedly lighter, and based the story premise off of Gossip Girl. However, there won't be a mysterious stalker, and don't look too hard for parallels other than the three main characters.**

**Also, I'm pretty as far from cosmopolitan as you can get, a suburban girl through and through, so I decided to set the story in a suburb outside of Manhattan. The characters will be just as wealthy and fabulous, but set in a more comfortable environment. Cities scare me.**

**So review if you're interested in me continuing this story! And please don't favorite or alert without reviewing! Enjoy!**


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter One**

-Waking Up at the Start of the End of the World-

* * *

.

"Glimmer!" Clove shouted as she swept into the van Hoosen residency. "Can I borrow one of your cover-ups?"

"I'm in my room!" Glimmer called down in response. Clove quickly poked her head into the living room to say hi to Glimmer's mom and her older twin siblings, Cashmere and Gloss, then ran up the stairs.

Clove didn't bother to knock before she strode into Glimmer's room. She hurriedly set down her field hockey bag and rifled through it in pursuit of her new Missoni two-piece.

Glimmer burst through the double doors connecting her bathroom to her room, already wearing her red bathing suit. "How was practice?" Glimmer distractedly asked while surveying herself in the full length mirror.

Clove groaned before ripping off her penny and kicking off her shorts. "Enobaria kept us long because freaking Cecilia Rush couldn't figure out the new triangle formation." The two girls were so close that Glimmer didn't even blink as Clove pulled off her spandex, revealing her thong-clad, perfectly shaped backside.

"That sucks," Glimmer said sympathetically. "Do you have time to shower?"

Clove glanced at her I-phone, "Yeah, if I hurry. Party starts at seven, right?"

Glimmer nodded, before bending over to adjust her suit so there was the maximum amount of cleavage showing. Clove snorted, "How is it, Glim, that you're wearing a one-piece, but it still shows more than my bikini?" To be fair, Glimmer's bathing suit was the bare minimum required of a one-piece, with one thin strip connecting the bottom to the top in the front. In fact, it was the bare minimum required of a swimsuit in general- Clove swore she saw Glimmer's nipple before Glimmer adjusted herself again.

Glimmer pouted Clove's reflection in the mirror. "If you've got it, flaunt it. And I just happen to have the best rack in North Hills."

Clove rolled her eyes as she joked, "I don't know, what about me?" She turned around and shimmied at Glimmer, poking fun at herself for her decidedly petite figure. "Also, I need a cover-up."

Glimmer bounced over to her walk-in closet, and emerged with a flimsy, paper-thin white dress. "Here," she tossed. "It'll show off the goods."

Clove walked into the bathroom to take a quick shower. "What goods?" she shouted back, voice echoing in the giant shower.

Glimmer followed Clove into the bathroom to reapply her mascara. "You know you've probably got the best ass in the U.S., right?"

Clove sputtered under the power shower head and started massaging shampoo into her long, tawny brown hair. "Yeah right."

Glimmer finger combed through her blond waves, "Don't you remember when Blight O'Donnell wrote a poem about it freshman year?"

Clove rinsed out the suds, and quickly ran some conditioner through her hair, "Okay, but Blight O'Donnell is also the biggest perv."

"He just put into words what everyone already knew." Clove fell silent, as she turned the water off. "I feel like you might be in love with my butt, Glim," she teased, "is there something you want to tell me?"

Glimmer giggled as she handed Clove a towel through the crack in the shower door. "What can I say, Clo? The heart wants what the heart wants."

Clove ignored the teasing, "Pass me my stuff, will you?" Glimmer went back to fetch Clove's two-piece, then threw it into the shower. Clove yelped as she struggled to catch the swim suit before it fell onto the wet ground. "Bitch!" she laughed, as she slipped into the patterned string bikini.

"Hot mama!" cat-called Glimmer as Clove stepped out from the steamy shower. Clove curtsied, and began to comb her tangled damp hair. "Well, I know what you got Cato for his birthday."

Clove froze just as she was about to apply some lip stain. How did she know about the photo album? "Wait, what?" she asked, panicked. She had been sure to keep it a secret.

"Yeah, a prime time, all night-long view of your ass. It's practically a g-string, Clo! What would Lyme say?" Glimmer asked teasingly, referring to Clove's rather conservative mother. Clove rolled her eyes, before twisting her hair into a low side-bun, throwing her high cheekbones and fragile features into sharp effect.

"Well, like you said, if you've got it, flaunt it, right?" Clove wiggled her butt as she hurriedly applied some gold eye liner and blush. "I'm really worried about your obsession with my ass, Glim. But we'll talk about it later- we've got a pool party to get to."

.

Cato swallowed hard when Clove gave him a quick hug, accompanied with a peck on the cheek. The flimsy dress she was wearing dipped dangerously low on her back, showing off the famous Windsor backside. "Happy 17th, birthday boy!" She cheered as she moved aside so Glimmer could greet him as well.

Cato's party was already alive and well. Cato's birthday always landed at the end of the school year, so Finnick Odair, the quarterback of the football team, annually threw an extravagant bash for his good friend. Everyone who was anyone had shown up, eager for the party that marked the start of summer for as long as anyone could remember.

"Picture!" Annie Cresta declared, as she snapped a shot of Cato, Clove, and Glimmer. They all flashed carefree smiles at the camera, the feeling indicative of the beginning of summer flowing through their veins. After Annie had been satisfied with the picture, Cato turned to Clove and Glimmer, "You two are late," he wagged his finger disappointedly.

Glimmer laughed as she fetched herself a drink. "Blame her; she was the one who was late from practice."

Clove pulled a face as she accepted the cocktail Glimmer offered her. "Blame Cecilia Rush then. With a name like Rush, she sure is slooow."

Cato laughed, "Clove was late? That explains why she smells so bad." He sniffed the smaller girl's hair and pretended to gag, but like always, Clove smelled of green apples.

Clove's delicate shoulders tensed up- only Cato was the one who could get under her skin. "I smell fucking amazing! You're the one who stinks… on the soccer field. I saw you idiots practicing today-"

Peeta Mellark suddenly butt in, "We do not stink!" As co-captain with Cato and goalie, Peeta took pride in the North Hills Hunters' champion winning soccer team. "We don't actually stink." he repeated to the tall boy by him. "Marvel, I'd like to introduce you to Clove Windsor, Cato Einhardt, and Glimmer van Hoosen. Guys, Marvel Carraway. He's going to be a senior like us next year."

Glimmer turned to face Marvel, flashing him her brightest smile. "Nice to meet you. I'm Glimmer." Marvel nodded and smiled politely. The other two, who had to be Cato and Clove, finally stopped bickering long enough to make small talk.

The smaller girl, Clove, extended her hand gracefully. Marvel, bewildered, bent down to kiss it. She laughed, "I was going for a handshake, but that works too."

Cato rolled his eyes good naturedly at Clove. "Sup man? Where are you from?"

Marvel cleared his throat, a little intimidated by the blond guy with an arm slung over Clove's shoulder. "Uh, I'm from Washington D.C."

Clove perked up a little, bright eyes snapping with interest. "Wait, a Carraway from D.C.? Does that mean you're related to Dennis Carraway, the President's head speech-writer?"

Marvel blinked, taken aback. At first glance, Clove had seen like the typical spoiled rich girl, decked out in a skimpy white cover-up that didn't cover up much at all, with a printed bikini peeking through. "Yeah, he's my dad?"

"That is so interesting! I think he's fantastic, the President has made some great speeches recently."

Cato chuckled, "Clove's the nerd. She's debate team state champ."

Clove elbowed him in the ribs, but Cato didn't even flinch, "Shut up, Cato enjoys speeches too. He's Secretary General of our Model-UN club."

Marvel was worried about moving to a small town, but it seemed like it was for nothing. These kids were crazy smart. Glimmer interrupted, "Maybe I could get an interview with him? I work for the school newspaper."

Peeta excused himself to go talk to Katniss Everdeen, and Clove ushered them all over to a table by the Odairs' large pool. As they sat down, Glimmer continued to chat, "I hope you like it here, Marvel. In my opinion, North Hills is pretty great."

Marvel nodded as he surveyed the party, "Yeah, everyone's been pretty friendly."

Clove smiled prettily, "You'll fit in just fine." Her clever eyes had been studying him this whole time. Marvel Carraway seemed intelligent, well-mannered, and was handsome with dark hair and green eyes. He would be more than fine; Clove estimated that he would be one of the most popular kids at school by Homecoming Week.

Cato watched Clove appraise Marvel, and knew exactly what she was thinking. He subconsciously shifted closer to her. "So Marvel, how do you know Finnick?"

"I actually moved in next door, and Finnick and his family came by this morning to meet us. Finnick and I got along pretty well I guess, so he invited me to this party- which I'm guessing is your birthday party." He explained, nodding at Cato's chest. Annie had made him a shirt that said 'Kiss me, it's my birthday'.

Glimmer beamed, "Yes, our little baby Cato has finally turned 17!" She and Clove exchanged a mysterious look, and they both leaned in to simultaneously give Cato a kiss on the corner of his mouth. Cato just protested, "Clove's still 16- she's the baby."

Clove pouted and took a sip of her drink. "At least _I _can drive," she pointed out with a meaningful look at Glimmer. Cato chuckled and tipped his drink at Glimmer, "True."

Glimmer brushed off their jabs and explained to Marvel, "I can't parallel park for the life of me."

Cato told Marvel in a fake whisper, "But Clove's not much better. Princess here drives like she's eighty."

Clove defensively called out, "Well excuse me, for not texting while I drive and for only going ten miles over the limit. I don't want to die."

Marvel laughed at the trio's antics. "Does everyone drive here? In D.C., parking's a bitch, so no one learns how to drive."

Clove drawled in a twang, "Out here in the country, we simple country folk drive ourselves."

Glimmer nodded in fake seriousness, "Yes, Clove the country hick- who drives a Mercedes-Benz."

"Don't hate on the Benz! It drives your sorry ass everywhere!"

"Anyways," butt in Cato. "Got any plans for the summer, Marvel?"

Marvel shook his head, "Just planned on settling in, maybe try out for soccer?"

Cato sat up, suddenly much more interested. "You play? What position?"

Marvel was flustered by the sudden attention from Cato- who was still intimidating, even though he had been nothing but friendly to Marvel. "Right mid-field?"

Cato clasped his hands to thank the heavens, "Thank God, our right mid graduated last year!" He leaned in, grinning, "Marvel, I think this will be the start of a beautiful friendship. We can practice together this summer."

Clove crossed her arms, smirking. "Maybe we should give them some privacy, Glim?"

Cato turned to face Clove, "You're just jealous that you won't be hanging out with me this summer."

Glimmer informed Marvel, "Clove's going to France this summer for a language-immersion program."

"Hell yeah I am, and when I come back, I'm going to rock Model U.N. this year," she declared, automatically high-fiving with Cato at the mention of Model U.N. without taking her eyes off Marvel.

Marvel nodded, "That's cool. When do you leave?"

"Tomorrow morning, bright and early. I was supposed to leave a few days ago, but how could I miss this one's birthday?" She said, reaching to pinch Cato's cheek.

Cato grimaced, "Clove, it hurts."

"You're seventeen now, suck it up!" she teased. Peeta called Marvel over for a game of volleyball, and as he got up, so did the rest of the group. Clove tugged Cato over to the drinks table, "I need a refill!" She turned to face Marvel, "It was nice to meet you, Marvel. I'll see you when I get back, yeah?" As he agreed, she gave him her hand again and he kissed it. Laughing, she waved him off, "Glimmer, you coming?" Glimmer and Cato nodded to Marvel, and then Clove swept off with both of them.

Marvel jogged over to the sand pit, where Peeta, his girlfriend Katniss, and Jacqueline Finch were assembled. "You partner with Jacqueline over there, alright?" Peeta instructed. Marvel agreed, and then nodded towards the indomitable trio. "So what's the deal with them?"

Peeta followed his gaze, and chucked in understanding. "Those three are the enigma of North Hills Prep."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you'd agree that those two girls are unbelieveably hot, right?" Katniss glared at him, and swatted his arm at his words. But Peeta nodded in Clove and Glimmer's direction, and she shrugged her shoulders, agreeing with him herself.

Marvel studied Clove from a distance. "Yeah, they are."

"Well, Cato's tight with them both, but none of them are going out."

Marvel swiveled around, startled. "He gay?"

Peeta smiled, "Nah. No one really knows why he's just friends with them. But we've all known each other since preschool, and the three of them are ridiculously close."

"Maybe he just doesn't see them in that way?" Marvel offered.

"I don't think that's it. Cato's crazy protective of Clove, so I wouldn't even bother trying with her."

"Yeah, I thought they were going out."

"They probably will eventually, that's what everyone's betting on. It's a long story." Peeta clapped his hands, "All right enough gossip, let's play volleyball!"

.

"So Cato, who would you rather? Glimmer or Clove?" As the girls floated about in Finnick's pool, sipping on cocktails and gossiping, the boys gathered around the bonfire on the patio. Being boys, the conversation quickly turned inappropriate.

Clove, he thought first, inexplicably. But he knew enough to remain neutral, knowing that they would all give him a hard time. "… I don't know, man. I've honestly never thought about it until now."

"Spoken like a true faithful friend." Gale dead-panned while the other guys chuckled. "Tell me, did my cousin and Glimmer friend-zone the shit of you?"

Cato felt a flash of annoyance towards Clove's cousin, but pushed it down with a carefree laugh. "Nah man, we're really just friends."

Brutus, one of the North Hills Hunters' offensive tackles, chuckled. "I'd be friends with them too. Friends with benefits, that is." The others all rushed to agree, chiming in with their two cents.

"Well, if I had to choose, I would probably have to say Glimmer. That girl's dead sexy." Chaff eloquently added. Cato nodded, most of the football team preferred Glimmer due to her impressive chest and shiny blonde hair- the football team was all about sex appeal. But the soccer team was collectively infatuated with Clove, citing her "tight ass", and pretty, delicate features.

Marvel cleared his throat, "I don't even think it's a competition. Clove is definitely better."

Peeta chuckled, "It's an age-old debate. What's got you so sure, new guy?"

Chaff butt in knowingly, "You an ass-man, leg-man, Carraway?"It was commonly agreed upon that Clove Windsor was in possession of the best ass and legs in North Hills.

Marvel shook his head vehemently, "I'm an everything-man- but Clove's got that shine, y'know? Down in D.C., I saw a lot of hot girls, but that girl is _iridescent_." Cato turned to study Marvel, suspicious and territorial. He thought he was the only one who thought about Clove like that.

There was a pause as everyone mulled over his words, Finnick then broke the silence, "Marvel, I can't tell if you're a player who's going to sweet talk all the girls, or just gay as shit."

As everyone laughed, Marvel just smiled good-naturedly. Cato decided he needed to keep an eye on Marvel Carraway.

.

As the night dragged on, the girls joined the boys by the bonfire, chilly in their skimpy suits. Annie Cresta, snuggled warm under Finnick's arm, suggested a game of truth- or-dare, and no one could deny sweet Annie.

So far, Katniss had done a body shot off Peeta, Finnick had sung a suggestive love ballad to Gale- which had been caught on tape and was sure to be posted on the internet tomorrow, and Marvel had been forced to tell an embarrassing story where he had been suspended for mistakenly sexually assaulting a substitute teacher. It seemed like he was going to fit in just fine.

Johanna Mason cackled, more than a little drunk. "Alright, Princess. Your dare… give Cato a lap-dance."

The whole circle held their breath, as they looked from Cato to Clove. Clove kept her face smiling, unwilling to let all her fellow classmates see her sweat. "How middle school, Mason." Cato worked to maintain a straight face, trying not to seem_ too_ eager over the thought of Clove grinding against him. Glimmer picked up on the tension, "Yeah Johanna, seems a bit juvenile to me."

Johanna scowled. "Fine, then just make out with him for a minute straight. Not like you haven't before, right?" Clove ignored Johanna's slight jab, as everyone else giggled. "Fine," she replied, as she got up from her seat on the couch next to Glimmer. She was never one to back down from a challenge, especially from the likes of Johanna Mason- who did she think she was? Clove stared Cato down as she approached him, and he tried not to squirm under her burning bedroom eyes.

Clove sat and straddled Cato, as he reclined on a pool-side chair. She shifted on top of him, before comfortably situating her small body on his lower torso. Clove had undone her hair some time earlier in the night, so when she bent down, her long hair blocked their two faces from the crowd. Looking up, Cato could see just a little bit of nervous excitement in her hazel-green eyes.

"Relax, Clo," he soothed, as he slung a warm, heavy arm around her bare waist. "Nothing we haven't done before, right?"

Clove giggled, a little more relaxed at the reminder that they were indeed each others' first kiss. Her eyes smoldered a little, and her voice turned a little husky as she whispered, "Try not to enjoy this too much," before she covered his lips with her own.

.

Cato had kissed Clove before- when they were nine and he had asked her to be his Valentine, when they were thirteen and tipsy for the first time, when they were fifteen so they could get on the kiss-cam during a Yankees game- but never like this.

Clove's hand gently rested on Cato's cheek, as she expertly sucked on his bottom lip before he slipped his tongue into her mouth. Cato tried not to think about how Clove got so good at kissing- preferred to think that Clove was just naturally good at things. He brought his other hand to rest on her butt. Unable to help himself, he gave one cheek a good squeeze. Fuck, her ass really was amazing. Clove whimpered lustfully as he felt her up and twined her thin arms around his neck , before pulling him in tighter and clenching her legs tighter around his hips.

God help him. He could do this forever- and the fact that was it was Clove excited and worried him simultaneously.

.

Warm, she felt so warm. From the tips of her toes to the top of her head, Clove felt like she was wrapped in one of her electric blankets. Sleepy and at ease, yet electrified at the same time. Clove hummed into his mouth, and struggled to control her rampant hormones. Why did this feel so good? Cato's tight abs against her practically bare body. His crotch pressing into her- oh god. Clove made sure not to move against his lower body, afraid that Cato might… get excited, and Clove might lose it right there. But the longer they kissed, the more confused she got. Cato was her best friend, this was all hormones- right? They were both attractive teenagers, it was just adolescence screwing with her. But this kiss felt like more, felt perfect-

"And time!" Johanna called. The two broke apart, panting wildly and confused. They stared at each other for a moment, and Clove shivered once. Cato kissed the tip of Clove's nose as she got off him, and they telepathically decided to talk about it later.

.

"So Marvel, how's your night been?" Clove asked as she joined him by the drinks, stirring her cocktail with her finger idly.

Marvel jolted from his own thoughts. "Pretty well, I'm glad I moved in time for this. Why aren't you dancing?" Clove leaned her elbows against the edge of the bar. Even now, in the early hours of the morning, Marvel stood by his opinion that Clove sparkled on her own accord.

Clove sipped her drink, then cocked her head to the side. "Tired. I have a flight tomorrow at 6 in the morning. I should probably get to sleep soon."

Marvel followed her gaze to Glimmer and Cato dancing together. The late hour and the drinks emboldened him to ask, "Do you have feelings for Cato?"

Clove held her breath for just a fraction of a second, "No. Why do you ask?"

"You seemed pretty interested in him and Glimmer dancing."

"They're my best friends, and I'm just going to miss them I guess." Actually, Clove _was _watching the pair. They fit well together, almost too well. And they looked good together. She shook the thought away; Glimmer and Cato were good friends. And her and Cato were just good friends too.

She never had that conversation with him after truth and dare, she realized. Marvel watched Clove's impassive face. Growing up in the Capitol, he picked up on habits indicative of lying. And Clove was good at hiding her emotions- like a proper queen bee should be, but she was still human.

She'd just wait for when she came back. Nothing bad would happen between them. Cato definitely wouldn't get a girlfriend before consulting her- she had him wrapped around her little finger, she thought smugly.

All the same, she breathed a sigh of relief when Marvel asked to dance with Glimmer. The look he shot her said, '_You're welcome_.'

.

Clove released Glimmer after a few moments. It was silent between the two girls, as they were in sync in a way that not a word needed to be spoken.

Glimmer stepped back, and Cato approached her with open arms. "Come here, Princess." he said cheerily so that Clove wouldn't cry.

"I'm going to miss you so much," she whispered tightly. "You're picking me up from the airport when I come back, right?" she asked Cato as she hugged him tight, relishing his warm, strong body.

"Yup," he grinned as he memorized the feeling of Clove's body against his, the curve of her waist in his hand. "August 16th." It wasn't that bad, he tried to convince himself. It was only eight weeks. Fifty-six days. Fifty-six days too many, but still.

She finally pulled back from the embrace, flushed and teary-eyed. "I'll miss you both! I'll bring back presents! Glim, make sure Cato doesn't get into any trouble!"

As Cato and Glimmer called out farewells and proclamations of love to Clove's backside- Glimmer, obviously- Clove headed off to the airport. Turning to wave out the window one final time, Clove was struck by how similar Glimmer and Cato looked, both tall and golden- like a catalogue- perfect couple.

This is what Clove will remember when the truth comes out.

.

* * *

**AN:/ I too have a crush on Clove's backside. **

**DUN DUN DUN. I tried to put some foreboding into the last few paragraphs.**

**So I decided to write the first chapter, just to gauge interest. And just a fun tidbit, I gave Marvel the last name Carraway because he reminds me of Nick Carraway from **_**The Great Gatsby**_** being introduced to the world of East Egg/West Egg.**

**HAHAHA me pretending I'm brilliant like F. Scott Fitzgerald is pretty funny. **

**Anyways, thoughts? Please tell me what you think in a review- especially if you're favoriting or alerting. Since this is a much more relaxed story than Heartlines, I'm up for suggestions for upcoming chapters.**

**Disclaimer: This will extend for the entire story- because I'm lazy and don't want to risk the infinitesimally small chance that I get sued. Yes, it's true. I don't own **_**The Hunger Games**_**. Sorry to disappoint. **

**Please review to justify my ignoring all other aspects of my life. **


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter Two**

-I Beg Your Pardon, Love, But You've Interrupted Me-

* * *

Day 6.

"Bonjour!" Clove's smiling face filled the screen of Cato's I-Pad. "How goes it in America?"

"Good, good. Just finished playing soccer with Marvel."

"Yeah, I heard from Glimmer you guys are really hitting it off. That's good- I like him."

Cato nodded, ignoring the flash of suspicion of how Clove had taken to Marvel so quickly. "So what have you been up to?"

Clove was busy inspecting her nails with a pointed file. "Well, I've just been settling in. The host family is an old married couple, which is pretty fantastic."

"They must let you get away with anything."

Clove shrugged her shoulders, "Pretty much. Their internet's pretty slow though, so that kind of sucks."

Cato shook his finger at Clove, "Don't get into too much trouble, partying and boozing it up." Images of Clove at raves and clubs, gallivanting off with French boys, tipsy and drugged up flickered through his mind, each situation more ridiculous than the previous. Cato tried not to worry too much.

Clove twirled the file, "Oh, I won't. First of all, I only party with you guys. Second of all, fashion boutiques. My dad and Raoul the Tool took me shopping yesterday."

Cato chuckled at Clove's nickname for her husband's gay partner. "Please go on about your shopping adventures," he deadpanned.

"I know enough not to bore you with the details, I'll just call Glimmer later. Have you guys hung out yet?"

"Uh… not since Finnick's. Why?"

"Cato!" Clove reproached. "Just because I'm not there does not mean you guys shouldn't hang out!"

"Alright, alright." he acquiesced. "We'll go watch a movie or something."

"Not Dark Knight Rises! We're watching that together when I get back." Clove reminded him.

Whining, "But it'll have been out for more than a month by then!"

She compromised, "Fine. You can go watch it, but you're going with me again- and you're going to pretend that it's your first time watching too- I'm waiting until I _don't_ have to watch it with French subtitles.

"Fair enough," he agreed. "Glim probably won't watch that anyways. Besides, she probably doesn't have time for me. Heard like seven college guys asked her to their beach houses up in the Hamptons."

"Doesn't surprise me too much," Clove replied reasonably. "Practically half of the guys in our class asked her to prom last year."

Cato remembered. "I got stuck with you," he teased.

"Shut up!" she pouted petulantly. "You should be thankful I agreed to go with you. Speaking of school dances, I got my Homecoming dress in this boutique yesterday."

"You work fast- Homecoming's in like three months?"

"Cato, Homecoming is earlier this year! And my dress is kick-ass. Johanna Mason can suck it- I'm totally Homecoming Queen this year."

"You don't have a date yet for Homecoming?"

Cato's lack of subtlety still managed to surprise her, even after all these years. Clove prayed that the camera did not pick up on her sudden blush. "Nooo, why?"

Cato folded his arms behind his head casually; giving Clove a much appreciated view of his toned arms. "Because you're going with me."

Clove scowled as her stomach burst into tingling excitement. "And _this _is how you're asking? Just to clarify."

Snickering, Cato couldn't help but affectionately miss Clove's bossy demands. "Relax, I was just messing. Of course, I'll buy your highness some gifts as well."

Her pouting face broke into a grin, "Good, because I already bought you a tie to match. Wanna see?" Without another word, Clove dove for something behind her laptop. Cato was regaled with a magnificent view of Clove's chest as she wrestled with something.

Cato swallowed hard, torn between looking away out of respect and staring in awe. He absent mindedly wondered when flat-chested Clove had finally developed. Although nowhere near as endowed as Glimmer, she still had a nice set of-

Oh god. The picture was grainy, but he didn't think Clove was wearing a bra. Now full out staring, Cato relived that night at Finnick's, when Clove was pressed up to him, straddling him-

He realized Clove was back, staring at him rather concernedly. "Cato? You okay?"

Clearing his throat, "Yeah, I'm fine. That the tie?"

Clove nodded excitedly, bringing it closer to the camera, "Yeah, it's silver if you can't tell. We're going to look amazing," she said, with the childish enthusiasm of a much younger Clove. To top off the image of childish innocence, Clove yawned sleepily and stretched. Her shirt rode up with the motion, leaving Cato's libido very, very confused.

Cato glanced at the clock, it was nearing 1'o clock in the morning in France. "Get some sleep, Princess."

Normally, she'd protest, but she really was tired. "All right. I'll leave you to… whatever you do without me. Talk to you soon! And hang out with Glimmer." she instructed. "Love you!" she blew a kiss, and disconnected promptly.

Cato stared dazedly at the I-Pad. He was really in over his head with that one.

.

Cato texted Glimmer later, asking if she wanted to hang out tomorrow.

Her quick response surprised him.

_Sure! See you tomorrow_

.

Day 20.

"Clove called me yesterday. You guys are going to Homecoming together?" Glimmer shot him a knowing smirk.

Cato was clutching the side of his seat. "Glimmer, just concentrate on the road."

"Fine," she sighed as she flicked on her right turn signal. In the two weeks Cato had been instructing her, Glimmer's driving had improved tremendously.

As Glimmer navigated down the road, Cato let his thoughts take over. Whenever Clove was mentioned nowadays, he got confused and muddled as he tried to sort out what she was to him.

His beautiful, temperamental best friend for sure. His genius of a study partner. The most special girl in the world. The one he went to with all his problems.

She was, for all intents and purposes, everything to him. And that terrified him more than anything. Because no one should have that much hold on him.

Regardless, Clove Windsor held any chance of happiness for him in her small, delicate hands.

Cato learned enough from MUN to know that no relationship between countries could ever work if one held more power. The same thing went for people, as far as he was concerned.

Did Clove feel the same way about him? She loved him- but in that way, that deeply? Did she need him the way that he needed her?

Doubtful.

Clove probably saw him as a convenient date, a hot guy to make out with. But she had made her mark on him and claimed him as hers somewhere along the way. He didn't really think that he got a say in it. All he knew was that one moment he's four and meeting Clove and Glimmer for the first time, and somewhere along the way, he started thinking about Clove all the time and how he might be in love with her.

Somewhere along the way, something had changed. Now, every time the group hung out, she'd sit on his lap; every time there was a home game, she'd cheer him on wearing his soccer jersey; every time she looked at him, there was a special look in her eye. And yet, he still didn't know where they stood.

Cato Einhardt knew very well that he was smart, funny, and handsome. He could get pretty much girl at North Hills Preparatory. Yes, Cato was one cocky teenage boy, but not when it came to Clove Windsor.

It figured that the only girl he wanted was the one who had him wrapped around her perfectly manicured finger.

.

Glimmer pulled into a parking space at a Starbucks. "I'm hungry," she whined. "Can we eat?"

Cato nodded and trailed behind Glimmer into the coffee shop, still absorbed in his thoughts. Glimmer ordered some French Vanilla crap, and he bought himself a bottle of juice. They sat down at a table outside and tipped their faces back to enjoy the summer sun.

"Thank God we don't live in the city," Glimmer noted. "I bet it's hot as balls in Manhattan now."

Cato agreed, "Yeah, I had to go in to pick up some soccer stuff. Definitely the temperature of balls."

They both laughed and settled into a comfortable silence. "Why didn't we do this sort of stuff before?" Glimmer asked softly.

"What do you mean? We hang out all the time."

"Not just the two of us."

Cato frowned as he tried to think of the last time Glimmer and him had done something together, alone. "Huh, I guess you're right. But we hang out a lot still, even if it's not just us two."

"Do we?" Glimmer shot him a wry, skeptical look.

Cato frowned, not understanding where she was going with this. "I mean," Glimmer continued. "I just feel left out sometimes. When it's you and me and Clove, it's always you two off in your own world."

Cato opened his mouth to disagree, but Glimmer cut him off. "I know you guys don't mean to, it's just exhausting always third-wheeling on you two, even if it isn't on purpose."

"Aw Glim," he threw a comforting arm on her shoulders. "Don't think like that. And Clove and me- we're not- not together." It bothered him that people always thought of them as one entity, when he and Clove had not even properly defined what they were to each other. "We're just going to Homecoming as friends. It doesn't mean anything."

"Really?" Glimmer gave him a disbelieving look. "So, if someone else were to have asked Clove, you would be fine with it?"

Cato hesitated. "If she wanted to go with them, I'd have to be okay with it." _Lie._

"Sureee." Glimmer turned to look at him. "Just, don't forget the rest of us when Clove's around, okay?"

Cato shook his head. "That's not going to be a problem. Glimmer, you know me and Clove will always be there for you, right? You mean just as much as she does to me."_Another lie, but this one was for her own good, so did it really count? _He had always suspected that under her bubbly, carefree exterior, Glimmer was quite self-conscious, especially with Clove the spitfire as her best friend.

"Okay," she giggled.

In four short weeks, Glimmer's self-consciousness would be the least of his problems.

.

Day 34.

"So Cato," his mother distractedly tried to make conversation at dinner. "How are things going?"

Cato didn't bother to look up from his plate. He knew his parents only wanted to hear that he was okay. "Everything's fine."

"How are college applications coming? Start that Princeton supplement yet?" His father asked.

Cato stared at his father blankly. "Dad, I still have more than three months- I haven't even started yet."

"Just because you have legacy there doesn't mean you're guaranteed a spot, Cato." His dad reminded him. "It's best to just get a head start on these things. Princeton's early decision, correct?"

Cato sighed- he wasn't even sure he wanted to apply to Princeton, and his parents expected him to submit a binding application. "Yes sir. But I'm not sure if that's my first choice-"

"Princeton's a fantastic school, Cato," his mother reminded him. "I'm sure none of your classmates would have any qualms about applying there."

"Is Clove still applying to Yale?" his father questioned. His parents loved Clove.

Cato chuckled. "Yale or bust, she says."

"Now there's a girl that has it all figured out." His father nodded approvingly. "You know, it'd be a shame to let her get away, Cato."

His mother nodded in agreement, sending Cato a pointed look.

Sighing, Cato looked back down at his plate.

.

Cato tried to call Clove so he could vent like he always did. But it was practically four in the morning in France, so she didn't pick up, and he left her a voice mail. Still frustrated with his dinner with his parents, Cato dialed the next best thing.

"Hello?" Glimmer's soft voice answered her phone.

.

Day 40.

Clove rolled over to her stomach in bed. Her mother had always warned her not to- _You'll get a flat face and bad posture and a terrible figure. Glimmer's got a wonderful figure, I bet she doesn't sleep on her stomach-_

But it was the only way she could get to sleep on some nights.

Some nights she just couldn't fall asleep because the thoughts in her head would not quiet. GPA, college applications, field hockey, debate, Model United Nations… it all vied for her immediate attention.

She wiggled, trying to get comfortable. As she tried to calm her active brain, Clove found herself thinking of her friends back home.

Did they miss her? Were they having fun? Selfishly, she hoped they were not having too much fun without her. What about Glimmer? The bubbly blonde she called her best friend had never needed Clove to have a good time- but she had insisted that she missed Clove terribly. Cato? He had actually looked like he genuinely missed her.

Clove sighed. Her thoughts of Cato, like Cato himself, relaxed her and unnerved her at the same time.

She was not an idiot, far from it. Although they tried to keep their opinion to themselves, Clove knew that her friends expected her and Cato to hook up, that her parents and his parents were waiting with bated breaths for the same thing. Which was equal parts pathetic and creepy.

Was that she wanted though? Cato was attractive, smart, and her best friend. He would be ideal boyfriend material.

But…

She needed him more than she wanted to admit. And though she talked a big game, Clove was a coward. She couldn't bear it if things went badly and she lost her best friend.

Things were good now, safe. Cato and her were pretty much in a relationship, without any of the scary finality. They went to parties together, they made out sometimes, and they stayed up late talking. Was it juvenile of her to hope that they could stay that way forever?

.

Day 45.

Cato's face flashed onto her screen as she was scarfing down a croissant. "Hey Clove," he greeted.

She swallowed down the flaky dough. "Hey Einhardt."

"You busy? I could call back later…"

"No, no it's fine. I just need to be at the train station in like an hour. I got time."

"Are you sure?"

"Completely," she smiled. She would always have time for Cato.

"Okay then. Where are you headed off to now?"

"We're going to see the Louvre, and then go to the American embassy. I'll take notes for MUN," she promised, already anticipating his question.

"You rock, you know that right?"

"I know," she replied nonchalantly as she pretended to polish her nails arrogantly. But in truth, Cato's compliment made her palms sweat a little and fingers tingle.

"So have you met any new friends?"

"Oh tons," she answered. "The people here are great."

"Any boys?" Cato had meant to ask casually, yet the question came out sounding petty and territorial.

Clove sighed, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. "Relax, Cato, no one like that." She smirked a little at the implication, "Why? You jealous?"

Cato's neck muscle twitched. "No," he backpedaled. "I mean I was just wondering."

"Uh huh." Clove smiled.

"No, really. If you met a guy, it's fine." He stuttered, and then cursed himself for practically asking Clove to hook up with someone.

"Why are you _not _jealous?" she frowned. Clove thought her and Cato were on the same page.

"Wait, what?" Cato seemed like a deer stuck in headlights. Clove's disappointed face threw him for a loop. "Look Clove, I think we need to talk about…. us."

Clove's smug face suddenly turned fearful. There were so many things that went unsaid between them. And wasn't everything fine the way it was? She had naively hoped they could just stay this way forever. "Cato…" she mumbled softly, avoiding his face on her laptop. "Can we talk about this later?" This was a conversation that needed to happen face-to-face.

"But Clove-" Cato insisted. "We need to talk about what happened-"

"-I know." she agreed. "Just- just not now. Once I get back, please?" She pretended to glance at the clock. "Look, I gotta go. Can we please talk about this later?"

Knowing when he was beat, Cato had hardly complied before Clove disconnected.

.

Day 49.

"I got it!" Glimmer shrieked happily, flapping her arms. "They finally let me on the roads!"

Cato sat up from where he was sprawled out on his couch with Marvel, playing FIFA. "That's great, Glim!"

Marvel's head popped up too, "Yeah, way to go! I thought you couldn't parallel park for the life of you."

Glimmer leaned over the couch and mussed Cato's hair. "Same here, but I don't know. Ask this guy- he taught me everything I know. He's my hero! "

Cato turned to Marvel seriously, "I was the hero she needed, but not the one she deserved."

Marvel laughed confusedly. "Is that from Dark Knight?"

Glimmer called out from the wine cellar where she had suddenly pranced off to, "Yeah, I don't get it either. Cato, which champagne can I take?"

He bellowed back, "Any from the bottom shelf, you booze-hound."

"What- this calls for celebration! Marvel, you in?"

Marvel shook his head after checking his Rolex, "My parents and I are going to buy me a car." Glimmer gave him thumbs up. "But I'll see you guys later, okay?" As he left the house, he heard the pop of the champagne, and the clink of glasses.

.

"I'm glad we started hanging out more, Cato." Glimmer slurred. "But I feel like we drink a little bit too much when we're together," she giggled, pointing at the numerous empty champagne bottles scattered around the bed.

Cato looked up from where he was lying, immobile, on his bed. "Yeah, Clove will be happy that we did."

Glimmer looked a little put out- Cato never failed to mention Clove whenever he could. "It's always Clove with you. You must really love her."

Cato sat up petulantly, and groaned at the sudden movement, "Everyone always says that, but doesn't anyone care about what I think?"

Glimmer propped her head on her hand, "What, you don't feel the same way?"

"I… I think I do- but it's scary. I feel like she 'xpects so much out of me,"

"It's because she lovveeesss you."

"I dunno Glim. She kinda brushed me off when I tried to talk to her. Maybe she doesn't feel the same way."

"No!" Glimmer insisted. "Maybe she doesn't know it yet."

"I think she's too good for me," he admitted bashfully.

"How could anyone be too good for you? You're perfect Cato. I lovee you, and so does Clove. You guys would be soooo cute together- even if that leaves me alone," she trailed off sadly.

"We'll never leave you alone, Glim."

Glimmer brightened and snuggled closer to Cato, "Really?"

"Yeah, Clove loves you, and I love you too."

Glimmer looked up at Cato, their matching blue eyes mingling. She hiccupped, "This is nice." She felt something drawing her closer to him, "You're nice."

She then dove in for a wet kiss, not knowing what else to do.

"Glimmer stop," he protested, after a few heated moments.

"But why?"she asked drunkenly. "If I love you, and you love me, what's the problem? 'S fun."

"-But Clove," he reminded her nervously. "Sh' wouldn't like it." The alcohol made Cato and Glimmer's reasoning blur considerably. For a moment, Cato couldn't remember why it was a problem. Clove didn't want him. Being with Glimmer was simple- at least the alcohol made it easy. There were no confusing and scary expectations. "-'s just kissing," he agreed.

And then Glimmer kissed him again.

This time, they didn't stop.

.

* * *

AN:/ PLEASE READ.

Okay, so I would understand if you're a little confused. I tried to make the end of Chapter Two make sense and seem almost logical, but I totally get it you're all, "WTF I thought Cato loved Clove, etc."

Let me try to explain my thought process. Everyone in this story is insecure in varying degrees, especially the main trio.

Clove is insecure about the future and change. She likes where she and Cato stand, and is afraid that defining the relationship would make things too real and stressful.

Cato is insecure about what the future holds for him and about how Clove feels about him. He is worried that his golden days are over, and desperately trying to cling to the fleeting parts- in his mind, Clove. He thinks that she is too good for him, and is nervous that if they don't come to terms with their feelings soon, Clove will move onto someone better.

Glimmer is insecure about where she stands with the other two. Cato and Clove are quite the dynamic duo (I tried to subtly incorporate that into Chapter One), and she often feels left out. She is worried that if Cato and Clove become a couple, she will be left without her two friends.

But please don't try to hate on Glimmer. In my mind, she didn't really mean to sabotage any potential relationship between Clove and Cato. I think she is just lonely and insecure about the fact that boys want her for her looks. Cato likes her for who she is, and so she likes him, and doesn't know how else to say it but through physical contact. Cato is unsure about his relationship with Clove and how it is unbalanced (ie. Clove pretty much calls all the shots), so he looks for a relationship that is more even for both parties. I also imagine that alcohol would make Glimmer and Cato really slutty. (Not even a joke)

All in all, I'm not very satisfied with this chapter. But then again, I am never happy with chapters that focus on emotional development. It's so much more difficult, and the character's thought process really affects the way the whole story goes. In order for me to write a chapter that delves more into internal struggles, I need to be sure about what direction the story is going to go. In time, I will probably come back and tweak this chapter.

Nevertheless, please **review** with your own thoughts, opinions, and interpretations. Seriously, every review I get is like a pick-me-up in a dark time they refer to as "College Application Season".


	4. Chapter Four

**-I Pictured You in the Sun, Wondering What Went Wrong-**

**-Chapter Three-**

* * *

**A/N**: Howdy! Even though I got a very tepid response from the last chapter, I decided to keep writing. I really appreciate those of you that reviewed, and I don't think it's really fair for some if just because you fail to grasp basic etiquette, I stop writing. But seriously guys, review. It's not even funny when I see someone has favorited/alerted this story, but didn't take the time to write a simple review. It's the same button, people.

That being said, I tried to give Glimmer and Marvel's characters more depth and insight. Also, I added a quippy omnipresent voice because I like the dramatic atmosphere it provides- there's still no Gossip Girl or anything, just me inserting my own two cents into the story.

That being said, REVIEW. I'm groveling desperately, if you can't tell. And those of you on the Eastern Seaboard, I hope you're all doing okay- stay dry!

I posted a picture of Clove's Homecoming Dress, as described in the chapter, on my profile page.

* * *

.

Day 50.

Cato woke up with a raging headache and his arm wrapped around Glimmer's waist. As he pondered what had happened last night, his eyes took on his surroundings. Putting two and two together, he came upon the horrifying conclusion.

"Glimmer," he whispered urgently. "Glim, wake up!"

Glimmer groaned and rolled over, exposing her naked chest inadvertently.

"Jesus," he hissed, hurriedly throwing a sheet over her.

Glimmer slowly blinked into consciousness. "Cato...? What?"

"Do you remember what happened last night?"

She smoothed her hair, "I remember…."- and then she did, and her blue eyes widened in panic. "Oh god. Wait, did we…. did we sleep together?" she whispered, frightened.

Cato nodded, biting his lip. "How did this happen?" But they both knew how it happened. Glimmer knew what he was really asking was how they were going to explain it to the others- to Clove.

"Well, we were both really, really drunk. And it just happened…" Glimmer groaned and buried her face into her hands. "Oh God, she's going to kill us- this sounds so fucking cliché."

Cato quickly put on last night's clothes. "Well, technically we didn't do anything wrong, right?" Glimmer just looked at him. "We're not dating, Clove shouldn't expect anything from me-"

But they both knew she did, knew deep down that Clove Windsor expected the world of him, knew that she looked at him with stars in her eyes. That she'd be crushed when she found out. She loved them both.

"She can't be mad, right?" Cato asked meekly, uncharacteristic for the brawny boy.

"She can't ever find out. Ever." Glimmer urged. "It'll ruin everything… she might not know it yet, but she loves you, Cato."

He tugged at his hair. "Stop! Stop telling me how much she supposedly loves me- What about how I feel about her?" Cato got the incomprehensible feeling that he had lost something that he had never really had. "Because I think I just ruined everything."

Glimmer sighed, "Cato…" she tried to place a comforting hand on his shoulder, but he viciously knocked it away. Getting out of the bed, he almost tripped over a champagne bottle that they had discarded carelessly yesterday. Snarling, he hurled it against the wall.

It was silent for a shocked second.

Then, Glimmer's phone rang.

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. Clove's face appeared on the screen, eternally smiling as she posed with Glimmer on a ski slope Spring Break Junior year. Glimmer and Cato both stared at the phone.

"Don't pick up," he urged.

"No shit, Sherlock." she replied nervously. Finally, the phone stopped ringing. It vibrated once to indicate that Clove had left a voicemail.

"Don't listen to it," Cato whispered. Funny how there was only one person who could really scare Cato, and she could do it from another continent.

Glimmer rolled her eyes, quickly pulled on all her clothes. Reaching for her phone, she called her voicemail and put it on speakerphone.

"Hey Glim! I was just wondering if there was anything you wanted me to get you in France before I leave! I can't believe I'm leaving in less than a week…. Miss you! Call back when you get this, okay?"

There was a long beep signaling that the message had finished playing, but neither of them moved an inch.

"We really screwed up, didn't we?" Glimmer whispered.

Cato nodded, but didn't open his mouth, for fear of being sick.

Glimmer hurriedly left not soon after.

When Clove tried to FaceTime with him later that day, he didn't answer.

He didn't pick up the broken glass shards off the ground either.

.

Day 53.

Glimmer groaned as she rolled over in her bed. Her phone had been ringing non-stop for two minutes. Whoever was calling was relentless. Glimmer rubbed her eyes as she answered, not bothering to check who was calling.

"Hello?" she whispered in a raspy morning voice.

"Glim?" Clove's high, borderline-shrill voice jolted her awake. "What's wrong? I got voicemail like 5 times."

Glimmer sat up hurriedly. "Uh, nothing- nothing. I just woke up."

Clove sighed exasperatedly, "It's almost two in the afternoon Stateside, Glim. Whatever. But I've been calling you for the past two days- what, I leave for eight weeks, and you forget my name?"

Glimmer shook her blonde, stick-straight hair. "I've just been really busy, is all."

Snorting, Clove asked, "What? Boozing it up with random guys? Hanging out with Cato?"

Glimmer winced over how close Clove was to the truth.

Clove continued, not even noticing how little Glimmer was talking. "Get on Facetime, I want to show you the dress I got."

Glimmer sighed quietly, "Alright, gimme a sec." She rolled out of bed, stumbled to her desktop. She clicked on the 'Connect' button and waited for Clove to appear. She stared at her own image on the screen.

It was the same hair, same face. But Glimmer could see her guilt branded on her very forehead. She hadn't really paid attention last year in English, but she vaguely remembered a girl with a scandal and a secret, painted blood-red.

Clove's bright face popped up suddenly, practically giving Glimmer an aneurysm. "Hey!" Clove chirped. Showing off her fabulous wardrobe always put her in a good mood. "Wanna see?"

Glimmer nodded while chewing nervously on her bottom lip. Clove shoved the hanger into the camera's view. "You like?" she asked excitedly.

Temporarily forgetting her secret, Glimmer stared, awe-struck, at the garment.

The dress was _Clove. _Beautiful and fiery, refined yet daring. The dress was made of a sparkly, light fabric, almost as if it was made completely of diamonds. Cut simply with a strapless sweetheart neckline, the show-stopper was the fan effect on the side. Folded elegantly to the side, it would highlight Clove's thin waist and accentuate her bust. With Clove's lightly tanned skin, delicate shoulders, and mahogany hair, she would be beautiful.

"Clove," Glimmer whispered. "It looks amazing."

Clove feigned hesitance, satisfied with Glimmer's reaction. "Really?" she asked. "You don't think it's too sparkly?"

Glimmer shook her head vehemently. "Not on you. You're going to look gorgeous."

Clove smiled sincerely. "Thanks, Glim. I want to beat out Johanna Mason for Homecoming Queen. I already got Cato a matching tie, so we should be set. It was really hard, y'know? Finding a tie that matched but that didn't look bedazzled. Daddy and I found this silk one, it's more on the gray side, but-"

Glimmer's smile faded. She had almost forgotten for a moment what had happened.

Clove continued to ramble enthusiastically, until she noticed Glimmer's expression. She then squinted, and for one heart-racing second, it seemed as if she could see the guilt on Glimmer's face. "What's wrong, Glim?" She cocked her head and then inexplicably questioned, "Are you on your period?"

Glimmer exhaled with relief at the ready-made excuse. "Yeah," she agreed quickly. "Yeah, I just feel moody."

"Go eat some ice cream or something, I can't have a pissy best friend." Clove brightened, "I'll bring you back some chocolate!"

Glimmer cocked her eyebrow. "I thought you couldn't bring food home?"

Clove waved her hand dismissively, "We'll cross that bridge when we get there. I'd rather pay fines than deal with your hormonal mood swings."

Glimmer and Clove laughed breathlessly. But Glimmer stopped when she once again remembered what she had done to Clove. "Uh, listen. I've got to go…. cramps."

Clove nodded. "I hope you feel better," she said sincerely, eyes sparkling with concern. Glimmer sometimes forgot how privileged she was, to have Clove Windsor as a best friend. A ferocious honey badger to strangers, Clove protected and loved her friends like they were family. To Clove, who had a distant mother and an estranged father, they probably were. And Glimmer was a sister to her.

Some sister.

Glimmer smiled falteringly and then disconnected before she dissolved into remorseful tears. How could she have done this to Clove? Clove, who had always been there for her- ever since they were four, when Clove had given her one of her favorite flower sparkly clips.

Clove, who had been the one that had punched the student newspaper reporter in middle school for writing a less than stellar review about Glimmer's lead in the school play.

Clove, who had snuck into watch _Saw IV _with Glimmer in seventh grade, before bolting from the theater twenty minutes in, gasping with terror and laughter.

Clove, who had brought Glimmer her favorite cupcakes from New York freshman year, after that senior had broken up with Glimmer on her birthday.

_See_, Clove had said, on that first day, _now we'll be friends forever- like sisters. _

And they had been, until now.

Glimmer van Hoosen was not a take-action kind of girl. She had grown up with Clove and was content with trailing behind her fierce best friend.

Nevertheless, she had to do something to get this awful aching feeling out of her stomach. Clove was her best friend, her sister through and through. And what had she done? Gone and had meaningless sex and lost her virginity with the boy Clove would have probably gone on to marry.

She felt sick. _She_ was sick.

Glimmer padded to the living room and spotted the miraculous piece of mail that seemed to be the answer to all her troubles.

.

Day 55.

Cato sighed as he stared hesitantly at his phone. Clove's name was highlighted, but he had yet to call her. She was coming home tomorrow

A week ago, Cato had waited impatiently for this day to come. But ever since that night, Cato had prayed for time to pass slower. He dreaded the moment when he would see Clove's face. Would she be able to tell? Clove was a sharp girl, she would sense that something was wrong the minute she saw his face. And then she'd hate him. Spit profanities at him and hurl every insult known to man at him. She might even sock him in the eye- for such a tiny thing, she had a mean right hook.

And that was the better alternative.

She might just look at him with big, sad eyes, like he had disappointed her. Worse yet, she might cry. The only time Cato had seen Clove cry was when her dad had left.

Well, that and when they watched Deathly Hallows Part I and Dobby had died.

Cato would be damned if he saw her heartbroken. _A little late for that, isn't it? _

"Cato?" Clove's confused voice rang in his ear.

He cleared his throat. "Yeah, it's me." He then broke off awkwardly, not sure what to say to his best friend.

"Is there something wrong?"

"No, nothing wrong. I just missed your voice." _Damn it._ He knew it was in both of their best interests if he stopped acting like a pussy around her. It would better for her if he stopped sweet-talking her, it would be better for him if he stopped himself from falling more in love with her. She was on a different continent, for God's sake.

"Cato," she breathed as if reprimanding him, but he swore he could hear a smile in her voice. "Well, I'm just packing up my stuff. I had to go buy another suitcase for all the clothes I bought."

Cato tuned out what she said next and just let her voice lull him into a trance. Clove's sharp, clear voice, full of emotion and inflection. He couldn't get enough of it when she debated or spoke at Model UN. _Snap out of it. _

Almost as if on cue, there was a knock at the door. Cato got up to get it, but Marvel let himself in. "Hey man," Marvel bellowed. "You up for some Halo?"

Cato nodded as he frantically pointed to his phone, trying to indicate that he had a call. Marvel gave him a thumbs-up in understanding and strode to the living room. Seconds later, Cato could hear the start-up noises of his X-Box 360.

Returning to his call, he interrupted Clove. "Hey, Cloves. Sorry I've been missing your calls."

Clove huffed at the reminder. "Yeah, you should be, asshole. I called you like five times a day. Too good for me?"

_Never, _he thought. "Yeah, I'm really sorry. I've been really busy though."

"That's what Glimmer said too." Cato tensed at the name-drop. "Have you guys been holing up together? Did you guys go watch Dark Knight?"

"No, no," he butt in. "I actually haven't seen Glimmer for the past week."

"Oh, you guys," Clove sighed impatiently. "Do I need to set up play dates or something? Thank God I'm coming back tomorrow, otherwise you wouldn't interact at all." _If only you knew._

"Yeah, good thing you're coming back," he repeated, as he wished immaturely that she could stay in France forever, so she would never find out how much of a fuck-up he was. Better she stay far, far away and never realize how much he had screwed up.

"You're coming to pick me up, right?"

_Crap. _He had totally forgotten about his thoughtless promise at the beginning of the summer. "Oh…. Clove, I can't be there tomorrow actually. I'm getting fit for my school uniform," he lied.

Clove was quiet for a while, as she always was when she was disappointed, but tried to hide it. _That's only the beginning, sweetie. _"Oh, that's okay then," she said, noticeably less enthused. "I guess I'll just get Gale to pick me up or something."

"You sure, it's okay?" Cato asked.

"Yeah," she breathed. "Yeah, it's fine." There was a break of silence. "I'll see you soon Cato?"

He closed his eyes exhaustedly, "Yeah, I'll see you soon."

The line clicked silent, and he was left ensnared in his own thoughts, confused without Clove's voice to guide him.

Cato shook himself and jogged into the living room. "Ready to get your ass handed to you, Carraway?"

.

Marvel grimaced as he flipped through Cato's video game disc holder. "Cato? Where's Halo 3?"

There was no response, Cato probably hadn't heard him. Marvel pushed himself off the ground and walked towards the dining room, where Cato had been talking on his phone. Frowning, Marvel searched for the disc. "Cato?" As he reached the dining room door, he finally found it sandwiched between a racing game and Tetris, randomly. "Never mind," he shouted to the ajar door. "I found it,"

As he turned to return to the living room, Marvel overheard Cato's hasty voice. "I actually haven't seen Glimmer in a week."

Marvel frowned as he walked back, recounting something he had seen five days ago. He had woken up early to go jogging with the family Labrador, Chief. As he rounded the final curve returning back to his house, he had seen Glimmer's blonde hair at Cato's door. She was wearing the same clothes as she had been wearing the day before, but Marvel had figured she had just crashed at Cato's house after a night of drinking.

No, what had interested him was the way Glimmer and Cato were talking at Cato's door. Cato had been hunched over and had his hand on the knob, like he couldn't wait until Glimmer left. Glimmer kept fixing her hair and had her arms crossed defensively. They huddled conspiratorially, until Cato had gotten angry. His shoulders tensed, and he said something stiffly before Glimmer turned away to her mother's Lexus. By this time, Marvel had slowed to a walk and was blatantly staring at them. Neither of the blondes noticed, and Cato shut the door firmly as Glimmer turned the key in the ignition. Marvel surreptitiously checked the mailbox, even though it was a Sunday, as he watched Glimmer back out slowly.

He rose his hand in greeting as she sped by, but she didn't notice. As she drove by, Glimmer swiped at her eyes viciously, clearly upset.

Marvel knew enough from Capitol politics to piece together an explanation.

Cato was angry. The only time Marvel had ever seen the blond boy mad was the first night he'd met him, at Finnick's party. When Gale had laughed about Clove and Glimmer friend-zoning him, there had been anger in Cato's eyes for a second before he caught himself.

So it had something to do with Clove or Glimmer, presumably. The way Glimmer had left upset meant that Cato had either rejected her, or she had rejected Cato. Something had caught Marvel's attention after that, probably Chief whining to go inside, so Marvel had put the memory out of his mind, figuring it was none of his business.

But now, Cato had bald-facedly lied, which was strange. Cato was blunt and straight to the point, he was not afraid of painful truths. He would have had to feel very strongly about something to lie. With this new information, Marvel had to reassess the situation.

He suddenly remembered more of the night that had been previously lost in a haze of drinking and flirting with that pretty redhead. Cato had looked at him after Marvel had commented on Clove's sparkle, and his eyes had flicked to Clove, almost possessively. And when Cato had hesitated to release Clove after the dare, he had kissed the tip of her nose.

Of course. Cato had a crush on Clove. So he had rejected Glimmer, and she had left, hurt and insulted? That didn't sound quite right- he needed more information.

Marvel realized that the start screen had been on for quite a while. He hastily pressed start and set the game to select a random stage and other preferences. He flopped back casually on the couch as Cato burst in. "Ready to get your ass handed to you, Carraway?"

Marvel casually sat up on the couch, as if he had been waiting the whole time for Cato. "Took you long enough, man." He tossed him a controller. "Who were you talking to, anyways?" Marvel knew just how to ask the question so that Cato would not be startled or suspicious.

Cato furrowed his brow slightly. "Oh, it was Clove." That was all he had to say.

Knowing not to push too hard, Marvel furthered the conversation himself. "Oh, Clove. She's coming back in a few days, am I right?"

Cato kept his eyes focused on the TV. "Yup," he said shortly. "Tomorrow, actually."

"Wow, the summer's almost over. She sure missed a lot."

"Not really, nothing much really happened during vacation." Cato said it too quickly to be deemed casual. Marvel knew that he was close to getting the truth out of Cato.

"Yeah, I guess. Does she know that Glimmer got her license?" Marvel threw in Glimmer's name as if on a whim.

Cato stiffened slightly. "Nope," he said. "No, no she doesn't know about it at all."

And somehow, Marvel knew. Blame it on his prodigal people-watching skills. "Oh, okay. Enough about that." Marvel smiled, he had heard enough. "You ready to get destroyed?"

.

Marvel had forgotten something else. As he left Cato's house later that night, he remembered the very end of the night, when Clove had joined him by the bar. As she stirred her drink, her eyes had fixed on Cato and Glimmer warily. And when Marvel had asked her if she had feelings for Cato, there had been a flicker of something in her eyes before she rejected the notion.

Clove had feelings for Cato, too.

So Clove liked Cato, who liked her back, but who had also inexplicably slept with Glimmer. Marvel shook his head, this town was so fucking cliché, it all seemed like a TV show.

.

Day 56.

Clove smiled despite herself as she saw the sign. _The Munchkin Queen_. Gale really was an idiot. She pushed her cart towards the wiggling placard, and when his serious face came into view, she walked a little faster. She finally broke through the crowd, and Gale half-smiled as he spotted her.

"Almost didn't see you there, short-stack," he teased, giving her a one-armed hug. Although related through her mother- his aunt, Gale and her looked nothing alike. He was tall and lean, while Clove was barely five and half feet tall. He had gotten olive skin and thick, black hair from his father, while Clove was lightly tanned at best and had brown hair that was almost tawny in the summer, but turned the color of chocolate in the winter. The only thing they shared were the wide, grey-hazel Cyprus eyes, which Gale and Clove had gotten from their mothers, who were sisters.

"You know you missed me, nerdface," Clove responded. Clove was only one grade above him and only a few months older than Gale, so they shared a close bond, built mostly on mutual snark. "How's marching band going?" she smirked.

"Hey, I'm center snare." Gale said defensively, "the ladies love that." Clove had to begrudgingly agree- Gale had no shortage of interested girls. As he rolled her luggage cart towards the exit, he asked the obligatory coming-home questions. "How was France?"

"Amazing," she gushed. "I learned so many things. And clothes- so much clothes!"

"I can see that," Gale gritted as he lifted the luggage into his Hummer. "Jeez, is there a dead body in there?"

"More like you'll be a dead body if you crush my stuff," Clove snapped as she protectively up-righted her Louis Vuitton suitcases.

"That's the thanks I get for dropping my plans to pick you up?" Gale groused as they got into the car. "Seriously, why'd I get stuck with getting you?" Clove flicked him in the temple as they pulled up to a stoplight.

"Cato had to bail at the last minute. And we both know Aunt Hazelle would have made you pick me up if I asked and you said no."

Gale shrugged, knowing that Clove was right. "Cato bailed? That's weird."

Clove pretended that she wasn't too intrigued, "Why?" she questioned innocently.

"That guy would drop everything in the world if you asked."

She flicked him again, "Shut up, we're just friends."

Gale accelerated as the light turned green. "Yeah, yeah." Clove gave him a look that told him to drop it. "I guess you're right, who'd want to date that?" Gale gave her a quick once-over and then wrinkled his nose distastefully.

Clove adjusted her seat to lean back a little, "Now you're just being mean."

"I heard you guys are going to Homecoming together?"

Clove cracked open one eye from where she had started to doze off. "Yeah, we are, where'd you hear from?"

"Everyone's been talking about it, convinced that you and him are finally going to get together. I swear, everyone in this town needs to get a life."

She smiled mysteriously and leaned her head against the window sleepily. "This year is going to be great."

_Famous last words, dear. _

.


	5. Chapter Five

**Because All I Need is the Love You Breathe**

* * *

_._

"_Class, I'd like you to meet our new student, Finnick Odair!" Ms. Trinket, his fourth grade teacher, trilled to the barely paying attention class. It was raining outside, so the whole class stayed inside for indoor recess. _

_Nine-year old Clove Windsor elbowed ten-year old Cato. "Come on, Cato, we've got to go say hi."_

_He looked up from his Encyclopedia Brown book. "Why? It's just another new kid." Plenty of kids enrolled at Panem Day School, the private school that mainly fed into the magnet school, North Hills Preparatory. He glanced over to the scrawny bronze-haired boy who was nervously fiddling with a piece of string in his hands._

_Clove stomped her tiny patent leather shoe, adorable in a plaid jumper and matching headband. "We just do, okay?" Even at a young age, she was an effective leader. Everyone in their group- cherub-cheeked Peeta Mellark, shy Annie Cresta, stoic little Katniss Everdeen, snooty Johanna Mason and of course, bubbly Glimmer van Hoosen, among others followed behind Cato in Clove's wake. _

"_Why does everyone need to come, Clove?" Cato liked spending time alone with Clove. She smiled at him with all her dimples and shared her cheese crackers with him. _

_Without missing a beat, Clove answered, "We need to demonstrate a united front so we can welcome him whilst maintaining a position of power." Clove absorbed everything her brilliant lawyer of a father said, and often spewed out big words when she didn't want to explain herself. _

"_Okay," grumbled Cato. As they approached Finnick, Clove stopped before the group got too close. _

"_Hello," she smiled brightly. "I'm Clove Cordelia Windsor, but you can just call me Clove. You're Finnick, right?"_

_Finnick glanced up from where he had been tying a loop. "Hi," he replied, shooting her a cheeky grin. "Yup, my name's Finnick. Nice to meet you, Clove Cordelia Windsor." _

_Clove cocked her eyebrow, impressed that the new boy was bold enough to talk so candidly with her. "I'm Cato," Cato butt in. "And these are my friends," he nodded and allowed them to all introduce themselves. _

_After Clove had ushered them over to the beanie bag chairs, Cato learned that Finnick came from Maine, where his dad ran a successful yacht company and that Finnick had been shipped to his grandparents' for a better education._

"_You sure are good at tying knots, Finnick," complimented Clove from where she was sharing a seat with Glimmer. Cato frowned, Clove was buttering up Finnick for something. "You know who else is good at that sort of thing? Annie." _

_Clove nodded over to the tiny girl with the tumbling brown hair, who smiled self-consciously. "You should teach him how to play Cat's Cradle, Ann." _

_._

_As they all bundled into their raingear, Ms. Trinket bustled up to Clove. "Your mother's in a meeting, dear. She called and asked if you could walk home by yourself."Clove's gated community was just a few blocks down from Panem Day School. _

_Clove wrinkled her nose. "But it's raining outside." If Daddy were home, he would have surely picked her up. _

_Cato, who had been eavesdropping while helping Peeta find his galoshes, jumped into the conversation. "It stopped raining, Clove. I could walk you home," he offered. _

_She turned to him after Ms. Trinket hurried to greet a parent. "Really, Cato? That's awfully nice of you." She smiled before narrowing her eyes suspiciously. "Too nice. What do you want?" _

_Cato put up his hands innocently, "Nothing, honest." Truthfully, Clove had just gotten a GameCube, and he wanted to play Mario Kart. _

_Clove shrugged her shoulders as she pulled on her Burberry boots. "If you want to play Mario Kart, you could have just asked." How did she do that? _

_Cato waited by the door as Clove hugged Glimmer good bye. He watched as she then strode over to Annie and Finnick and whispered something into Annie's ear that made them both giggle. She waved to Finnick coyly, before returning to Cato's side. _

_She did the toggles on her woolen coat and adjusted her knit cap. She always looked so pretty and perfect, Cato thought offhandedly. He liked that about her, even if that meant she refused to talk to him when he had crumbs on his face. "Ready to go?"_

_Cato nodded as he held open the door like his nanny had taught him. She nodded in thanks as she exited. Once he had gotten through the heavy glass door, he noticed Clove was having some problems opening her purple umbrella. _

"_It's not even raining anymore, Clove." he pointed out. Clove's cheeks turned a slight pink. _

"_I know, but I don't want my hat to get wet from the drizzle." Cato scoffed before wrestling the umbrella away, opening it with no problem. Clove pouted as she got under the shared umbrella. _

_._

"_So what do you think of Finnick?" Clove asked as she sat cross-legged on the squishy couch. _

_Cato squinted at the screen, debating between assigning Toad or Mario as his main driver. "He's alright, I guess."_

"_He's probably going to join the spring lacrosse team, I told him to." Clove and Cato were both involved in the town's recreational kid's league. "He'll be good, he's really tall." _

_Cato sneered. "He's not as tall as me." _

"_Cato, what are you talking about?... It almost sounds like you're jealous." A wicked smile spread across Clove's face. "Are you?"_

"_I just think it's weird that you're so obsessed with someone you met like three hours ago," huffed Cato grumpily while avoiding Clove's question. _

_Clove averted her eyes shyly for some reason. "I'm not obsessed with him! I'm just being friendly!"_

_He interrupted irritably, "I thought _I_ was your best friend." _

"_- Besides, Annie likes him- I was trying to introduce them." She continued without hearing his interruption. _

_He released a sigh of relief that he hadn't even been aware of. Bashfully, he tried to amend his foolish mistake."You're a good friend, Clove." _

_She flushed once more at the sincere compliment. "As good a friend as any, I guess."_

_The two focused on the race for a while, a comfortable silence between them. After a while, Clove giggled, "Don't worry, Cato, you'll always be my favorite." With that, Clove hurled a red shell with him in the game, neatly securing herself as first place in the last stretch of the course._

_Cato passed the finish line mere milliseconds after her. As Yoshi did a victory lap, he turned to face her in amazement. No one had ever beaten him in Mario Kart. _

_Cato Einhardt fell in love with Clove Windsor that day as she beamed at him, her controller waving tauntingly and brown locks bobbing victoriously. He just didn't know it yet._

_._

Cato woke up suddenly with an involuntary twitch. It had happened again- he had another dream about Clove. Ever since_ that_ night, he had dreamt of Clove whenever he fell asleep- which was not often. Inexplicable guilt sat heavily in his stomach, a constant reminder of his drunken mistake.

The fact that Clove was back now only made him more nervous. She had texted him informing him that she might drop by today. How was he supposed to act around her? He was no good at lying- he preferred to be brutally honest.

But in his heart of hearts, he was anxious to see Clove again. In their thirteen some years of friendship, this was the longest they had been apart probably.

_See? It's her fault all this happened. _

He was so frustrated with himself and his emotions. In the past week, he had grown angrier and angrier, at himself for messing up, at Glimmer for drunkenly coaxing him into bed, and at Clove for putting all this pressure on him.

Cato was scared- he honestly had no idea what would happen when he saw Clove again.

_._

Clove paused at Cato's front door, hand poised to knock on the heavy mahogany. _It's just Cato_, she told herself, before discreetly wiping her clammy palms on her crisp, mint-green linen shorts. She quickly rapped on the door, reminding herself she was just visiting one of her oldest friends.

But if there was anything that spending the last eight weeks in France had taught her, it was that Cato meant much more to her than simply a friend. The number of times her idle mind had drifted to thoughts of him alarmed her. Clove was used to having full control and restraint, but when it came to him, it was like her body was trying to tell her something that her mind had been avoiding.

She heard the strong footsteps approaching the door and fixed her hair just as Cato flung open the door. There was an exhilarating moment when the sight of his handsome face overrode her senses with a warm tingling sensation. Without another thought, she neatly stepped over the threshold and barreled into his open arms, wrapping her own thin ones around his neck.

"Cato," she breathed. "I missed you so much." She snuggled her face into his warm neck innocently and inhaled in his familiar scent- cologne mixed with the smell of warm laundry. She felt him hesitate for a split second before wrapping his arms tightly around her- almost as if he was afraid she would break.

"Clove," he murmured in a thick, restrained voice. She found herself closing her eyes and leaning into his hold even more. All was quiet in the marble foyer.

Clove had worried while she was abroad, but apparently, it was all for nothing. Cato had never been happier to see her, and there was no mistaking the chemistry she felt in his embrace. She smiled against his skin. Maybe senior year could be the year they finally gave a relationship a shot.

After a long moment, she withdrew from his grasp, gray-green eyes seeking his clear blue ones. In them, she found a thousand emotions. Happiness, want, sadness, fear, hesitancy, guilt. She cocked her head confusedly.

"How are you?" he asked off-handedly.

She smiled prettily, dimples flashing. "I'm terrific. France was great, but I'm glad I'm home." There it was again, Clove swore she saw Cato's face flash with guilt. This is what she'd been worried of: losing Cato as a friend. He and Glimmer were the only two people she could be completely as ease around, and she didn't want feelings and emotions to ruin that- although Clove supposed it was a little late to worry about now.

"There's so much I have to tell you." Clove paused at the reminder what they had left up in the air. "But first things first, are you busy?"

Cato shook his head no.

"Good, because we're going to see the Dark Knight Rises, get in the car," she commanded.

"Yessir," Cato joked as he opened the door after grabbing his phone and his wallet. Always the gentleman, he held it open for her. Clove nodded in thanks.

As she walked to the car, she half-expected him to wrap his arm around her waist.

He didn't.

.

Cato had to keep readjusting his clammy hands on the steering wheel. As Clove sang along, slightly off-key, to the radio, he couldn't help but imagine what would happen when she found out.

He was caught between wanting to spend every waking moment with Clove and wanting to run as far away from her as possible. He was swept up and completely enamored with her, to the point where he lost all sense of self-preservation.

Could she tell something was wrong?

"God, I hate this song," Clove groaned when some peppy song blared through the speakers. She hastily turned it down. In the suddenly quiet of the car, she turned to study him as he drove. "Hey, how've you been? It seems like it's been forever."

Cato licked his lips in apprehension and let his glance flick over to her watchful eyes. His eyes immediately snapped back to the road, and he silently gave thanks that he had a guise to avoid her gaze. "Uhm." He cleared his throat. "It's been good. Peeta and I worked on our plays for the season, and we're getting ready for tryouts." Starting next week, fall sports would be starting their two weeks of tryouts.

Clove cursed, "Shit, I was supposed to call Johanna about that." Johanna Mason and her were co-captains this year for the varsity field hockey team. "I hope she reserved the track for the mile run."

"Relax Clove, I did it for you. I know how much you like to show off," he teased. Clove was easily the fastest girl at North Hills. If she hadn't been playing field hockey and lacrosse since she was five, she could have been a track star.

"Hey, just because I could practically lap you doesn't mean you need to resort to hurtful comments." Clove pouted. "I should probably call Johanna just in case- she needs to give me the roster before next weekend."

She whipped out her cell phone and waited for Johanna to pick up. Cato sighed in relief. Talking to Clove was as easy as it had been before. As long as he didn't look into her eyes for too long, he would be fine. _Relax_, he told himself. _It's just Clove. _

But as Clove chatted with Johanna on her phone, she was grinning at him. And he let himself look at her, _really _look at her.

With her windswept hair and bright eyes, there was really nothing _just _about Clove Windsor.

.

"Alright," she hung up her phone. "Well at least that's taken care of- Johanna isn't as inept as I first thought." Cato pulled into a parking space right next to the local cinema. "Oh, she mentioned that she's having an end of the summer party. We're both invited, obviously."

"Obviously," Cato repeated in a snooty, teasing voice.

"You're mean. I'm not sharing my popcorn with you."

Cato shot her a reproachful look, "So sensitive." They stepped up the ticket booth. "Hi, could I get two tickets to Dark Knight for 3:20?" Cato spoke into the little microphone. Clove handed Cato the eight bucks for her ticket.

"Uh Miss, tickets are only five dollars," the gangly movie theater employee stuttered. He had heard stories from his older siblings about Cato and Clove- they were two of the most popular kids at school.

Clove frowned in confusion, "The sign says eight dollars."

The employee blushed at his mistake- he thought they were on a date-but a watchful senior employee passed by spoke up for him. "No he's right. Tickets on Thursdays are only ten dollars for couples. New marketing deal." She squinted at the pair that glanced each other a tad awkwardly. "You two are a couple, right?"

Cato looked at Clove for a second and smiled mischievously. "That's right," he smiled, whilst looping his arm around Clove's slim waist and pulling her in closer. "We're on a date."

Clove blushed furiously. Did he think this was a date? She looked up at Cato's face and noted with a little disappointment, that he was clearly joking. Clove almost wished that they could just call it a date and get on with it- she was sick and tired of Cato and her dancing around the truth. She smiled and played along, all while promising that by the end of today, Cato and her would finally define their relationship.

She kissed his cheek daringly and laughed as he looked at her, startled. "Thanks," she chirped to the employees while grabbing the two tickets.

Cato stood there, hand on his cheek where she had kissed him softly.

"You coming, Cato?" she called back over her shoulder as she walked towards the concession stand. "You act like I've never kissed you before." When he finally caught up to her in the concession line, he wrapped his arm around her waist again. She yelped when he pinched her waist in retaliation.

"I'll get you for that later," he mumbled into her hair. Her stomach did somersaults as they laughed conspiratorially. She smiled as they continued to banter and flirt in their own strange way.

This is the way things should be.

.

"That was amazing," murmured Clove as she distractedly wiped tears from her eyes while the credits ran across the movie screen. "Especially the ending…" She had begun to tear up when Bruce Wayne had climbed into the Bat, taking the bomb with him. In the back of her mind she suspected it was all a trick but still couldn't help but let a few tears leak from her eyes.

She couldn't help it- movies and books had always had a strong effect on her. With most people, she could shut down her emotions to near-robotic likeness. But films and novels, with their tragic and noble characters and sweeping stories, always left her emotional.

"Wait," he stopped her as she began to grab her things. "Maybe there's an extra scene after the credits."

Clove nodded in agreement and sat back down and idly watched the words roll up the screen. Eventually, she noticed Cato had kept his hand on hers. She didn't move an inch for fear that he would notice. After a while, she crossed her legs in impatience. "Is there a scene or not?"

"I wouldn't know, I haven't seen it yet."

"I thought you said you were going to watch it?"

He had gotten a bit distracted but he knew enough to not mention it. Instead, Cato shrugged casually, "I wanted to see it with you."

Clove unconsciously leaned closer to him, "Really?" Maybe it was the movie, but Clove suddenly felt so incredibly close to Cato. She wanted him, she wanted to be with him forever. When he nodded, she murmured, "That's really sweet of you to say, Cato."

.

She leaned subconsciously into kiss him. Her gray-green eyes burned into his in the dark. Cato's eyes flicked nervously to her attractive lips. As much as he wanted to reciprocate, he couldn't take advantage of Clove like that- there was no way she would want to kiss him if she knew the truth. He cleared his throat awkwardly and turned his face away.

Clove drew away with confused, almost hurt eyes. What was wrong? Cato had never had a problem with kissing her before. Maybe she had read the signs wrong before the movie wrong. Curious, she asked him softly, "What are we doing Cato?"

He turned back to face her, so handsome her heart ached. "We're watching the credits," he answered, purposely interpreting her incorrectly.

She huffed at him and punched him roughly in the shoulder. He groaned and grabbed his shoulder in pain. "You know what I mean, asshole. Don't avoid the question."

He grimaced in pain, "Why don't you tell me then, if you have all the answers?"

"I _know_ how _I _feel. I'm asking _you_ how _you_ feel," she whispered. God, she was making it so obvious, it was embarrassing.

Cato avoided her eyes, "I'm not sure how I feel…" But Clove knew the way Cato looked at her, how it was different from the way he looked at everybody else. She felt special when he looked at her because she knew that to him, she was. Typical Cato to be confused with his own emotions. She was Clove Windsor, and she got what she wanted. So she took the plunge.

"Well, how do you feel about this?" And with that, she straddled him in the empty movie theater and caught his lips with her own.

.

Suddenly, Clove swung her leg over his lap and pressed herself against him. In the darkened theater, all Cato could see were her bright, nervous eyes.

Clove then proceeded to softly kiss him, tentatively, gently. Cato responded enthusiastically by slipping his tongue into her mouth. She melded into him, and he felt so warm, so amazing with Clove. She smiled into the kiss and placed two hands on his shoulders to steady herself.

After a few blissful moments, Cato slipped his hand to rest on Clove's waist, under her shirt. The contact of his rough hand on her warm skin caused goosebumps to erupt under his touch and Clove to gasp.

She broke from the kiss with a breathless laugh.

Cato groaned as Clove's warm lips moved across his neck. He gripped the armrests tightly, "Clo. Clove- Clove, stop."

She resurfaced at the sound of his strained, panicked voice. "What's wrong?"

"I don't- I can't- We can't-"

"Spit it out, Cato," she ordered, worry starting to show on her face.

He couldn't do it. He was a coward, and he hated himself. "I just don't want us to get swept up during college application season. Let's not worry about us- we're just us, okay? But you know how I feel." He buried his face into her soft hair against her shoulder. He was hiding from her by pressing himself closer to her. The irony was not lost on him.

What happened? Had she read the signals wrong? Had she somehow gotten fat in France- she had eaten a lot of croissants… Or was there someone else? "Alright," she agreed quietly. "We'll just be together. No labels."

She felt as if she had lost somehow. It was a disorienting feeling- she never lost, ever. But with Cato, things were different: she couldn't just boss him around like she did everyone else. She sighed as he started to kiss her neck slowly. She really shouldn't let things with him go this way. Clove Windsor was nobody's hook-up buddy.

But this was Cato.

And it all felt so good, and she wanted as much of him as she could get. So she melted into his embrace and let his tongue erase all her worries.

.

As they left the theater, Clove's idle mind began to work in overdrive again. She was determined to figure out what had happened- because something had happened, she was sure of it. If Cato wasn't willing to tell her, well, she'd just figure it out herself. _Be careful sweetheart, you might not like what you find. _

She stumbled upon the answer with a jolt. "Glimmer," she whispered to herself. She hadn't heard back from her since their video call a few days ago. Something was wrong, she was sure of it.

"What's that?" Cato asked nervously.

Did something happen between Cato and Glimmer? Her palms sweat just at the thought. She couldn't compete with Glimmer with her hourglass figure and long golden hair. But she waved away the thought as an improbability. They were just friends- she had always been Cato's favorite. And Glimmer was the only person Clove had ever admitted her feelings for Cato, during a sleepover after a drunken party.

Glimmer would never do that to her. She trusted her. She trusted Cato.

But something was wrong and she needed to investigate.

Clove started, she had only just remembered that he was there. "Oh, nothing." She flashed him a coaxing smile, "We should go visit Glimmer."

"Are you sure, Clove? Don't you want to get something to eat?" Cato wheedled. He don't know if nerves could handle being in the same room alone with Glimmer and Clove.

"I'm sure," she insisted. "Please Cato?" As they arrived at Cato's Audi, she leaned against him, "I'll make it worth your while…" She brushed her lips against his jaw and looked up at him expectantly.

He felt a flash of want course through his body. Damn her- she could make him do anything she wanted with a pout. "Fine." Cursing through his teeth, he frantically shot Glimmer a text as Clove slid into the passenger seat.

_Clove is coming. _

.

"Clove," he said hesitantly. She rang the doorbell and then turned to face him. "I just want you to know that I really missed you this summer."

Her face relaxed into a soft smile. "Oh, Cato, I missed you too. So much."

He was cut off from replying by the front door opening. "Clove! Cato! My goodness, I haven't seen you two here in a while!" Ms. van Hoosen was a wealthy, beautiful divorcee and lived with her three children in the grand house.

"Hello Ms. van Hoosen!" Clove chirped. "How have you been?"

"Oh, I've been just grand… But look at you, you get more and more beautiful everyday!" Her eyes caught on Cato and Clove's clasped hands. "Cato, you've got yourself quite the catch here," she teased mischievously. Like most of the parents in their social group, Ms. van Hoosen not so subtly hoped Cato and Clove would become a couple.

Clove blushed delicately and looked at Cato for support. "Oh, we're not… uhm…. we're…" She kept her gaze on Cato, soft and unsure.

Cato stepped in, "You know we're just friends, Ms. van Hoosen."

She raised her eyebrows: these two were really the most stubborn pair she had ever seen. "You know I'm just teasing, dear. What can I help you with?"

Cato smiled uncertainly- they were obviously here to see Glimmer. Sometimes Ms. van Hoosen was a bit scatter brained. "We're here to see Glimmer. Is she here?" _Please don't be here, please don't be here_, he thought.

Ms. van Hoosen frowned as much as the Botox would allow. "She didn't tell you?" Cato and Clove exchanged confused looks. "Glimmer enrolled herself at a boarding school in Virginia. She's gone."

Clove gasped, while Cato wondered whether crying in relief would be in poor taste.

.

On the way home, Clove was quiet, eerily so. She spent the drive absorbed in her own mind and wrinkling her nose in thought as she always did when confused. Cato, in comparison, drove alternating between elated relief and bone-crushing guilt. It was a mixture of feelings he had become disturbingly familiar with in the past few weeks.

As they pulled into the driveway, Clove broke the silence. "Why did she leave?" she asked more to herself than to Cato. "Without saying goodbye. Without telling me." She had her suspicions about Glimmer, but she hadn't expected her to _leave_.

"Did you try calling her?"

"I did, but her phone's been disconnected!" Clove was anxious to the point of tears. "What happened?"

Cato parked, and then turned to look her in the eyes. He hated how he could look into Clove's beautiful eyes now and tell lies bald-facedly. He hated how Clove hadn't seemed to notice. She was the one who never believed his bullshit before. "I don't know, Clo."

She traced shapes onto his hand on the console. "When was the last time you saw her?"

"I don't know," he furrowed his brow in genuine thought. It must have been the morning after. "About a week ago?"

"And she didn't say anything was wrong?"

Cato sighed, "No, there didn't seem anything wrong." He hated himself.

Clove started to get out of Cato's car, to drive herself home from her parked Benz. She fumbled with the handle and sniffled a little. Cato gently pushed her hand away, "Clo, I'll drive you home- you can't drive like this."

Clove gave him a watery, grateful smile. "I'm glad at least you're here to take care of me, Cato." She wrapped her arms around him in an innocent hug, but Cato gulped when he felt her lips on his cheek. "I missed you so much," she whispered, before peppering his jaw and neck with needy kisses.

She kissed away her own self-doubt. With every light brush of her lips, Clove could feel Cato loosening his grip on the door handle. "Relax," she breathed into his ear. "Just be here, with me."

Cato hesitantly squeezed her to him, hoping to eclipse his guilt with the feeling of Clove against him.

"I just don't get it- why did Glim leave? Something terrible must have happened." _Sweetheart, you don't know the half of it. _She shook her head dejectedly, "I wish I could have stopped her." Her eyes filled quickly with frustrated tears. "Everything is screwed up."

Alarmed at the unusual sight of Clove genuinely upset, Cato grasped her hand in his own. "Clo, come on. Everything will be okay." She looked up at him, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

"It's not!"

"Clove, what's wrong?" He had never seen her so distraught.

"It's- it's my dad!" she confided. "He's getting married to…. to Raoul the Tool!"

Cato had to laugh that Clove would still insist on calling her father's boyfriend that ridiculous nickname. "Clove, you know that's not the end of the world."

"They're adopting a pair of twins from Cambodia! Fucking twins! He's starting this completely new life, and he'll forget me soon enough!"

"Clove, be reasonable," he said softly, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. "How could anyone forget you?"

She swallowed the lump in her throat and smiled at his words. "I guess I just feel like everything's changing." Her father was starting a new family, leaving her with only her distant mother. Lyme wasn't neglectful or cruel or anything, just off being a very successful international fashion designer. Now, Glimmer was gone too. At least she'd always have Cato. "What would I do without you, Cato?"

He smiled weakly. "You'd be fine, Clove. You don't need anyone- you're amazing either way."

Clove shook her head vehemently. "I need you, Cato. I need you so much, even more now since Glimmer left." She squeezed his hand tightly, "Promise you'll never leave. Promise we won't ever keep secrets from each other."

_I wish I could_, he thought ruefully. "Come on Clove, you'll feel better in the morning."

"Promise first," she urged. And in that moment, with tear-stained eyes and mussed hair, Clove was still beautiful. He couldn't lie any more. He couldn't let this go any farther.

"Clove," he started, brushing her loose hair away from her eyes. His eyes swept over her face desperately, greedily- he knew this might be it for them. He took in her wide eyes, her delicate features illuminated by the nearby street lamp. "I need to tell you something."

* * *

.

**AN: ****I'm beyond sorry guys. First semester senior year was one of the most hectic times of my life. But now that college apps are done, I feel comfortable resuming my stories! I really didn't want to post this chapter until I was relatively sure which way I wanted the story to go. I'm really sorry for the wait. Like really really really really sorry. **

**If it weren't for all your fantastic and enthusiastic reviews, I don't know if I would have the encouragement to start this story again- so keep them coming. REVIEW with thoughts and opinions because they honestly make my day. Expect a new chapter within the next week or two. I'll see how my schedule pans out, but reviews will definitely speed up the process. **

**Teaser for next time: Clove finds out the truth. **


	6. Chapter Six

**A/N:**** Okay, so you guys have to know that I did not mean to keep you waiting this long. I have this really bad habit of planning out a story really early in advance and imagining plot points for later on in the story, and then having no idea how to lead the story in that direction. So I guess you could say that I had writer's block. BUT. It is summer, and I feel sufficiently guilty, so I cranked this out the night before my college orientation. Who needs to sleep when you have imaginary characters in your head?**

**Anyways, please please please REVIEW even though I probably don't deserve it. Everytime someone reviewed, it made me feel a little more guiltier and urged me to write another chapter. So your feedback really does motivate me to write. **

**Previously on, **_**Tell Me a Story: **_

"_**Clove," he started, brushing her loose hair away from her eyes. His eyes swept over her face desperately, greedily- he knew this might be it for them. He took in her wide eyes, her delicate features illuminated by the nearby street lamp. "I need to tell you something." **_

* * *

**-All I Ever Wanted was the World-**

.

"Clove. I need to tell you something," Cato whispered nervously.

She nodded encouragingly, sure that he was going to admit his feelings. "I'm listening."

He shut his eyes in a pained manner, "I-."

Suddenly, her phone vibrated obnoxiously. Johanna Mason's name flashed on the screen of her I Phone. "Ugh, sorry," she grumbled. "This will only take a second, I swear…What, Mason?"

A pause. "Well, figure it out!"

"No I can't do it- I'm busy."

She blushed, "Yeah, I'm with him. So what?" She sighed with a pink tint clinging to her cheeks and turned to Cato, "Johanna says hi."

He laughed at Clove's obvious embarrassment. He liked how he was one of the few things that could fluster her. But then he realized with a sinking feeling in his stomach that with that special status also came a greater responsibility- he was one of Clove's weaknesses. And like anyone who truly got to know Clove, he knew that she was like glass: seemingly perfect, but with one good hit, she could crumble. How could he hurt this way, tell her something that could potentially ruin her, ruin them?

Maybe she didn't have to ever know. Glimmer was gone, there was no way anyone else knew….

"Okay, okay. We can work on the plans tonight," Clove threw an apologetic look at Cato. She hung up with another word.

"Sorry, Johanna was getting antsy. She's coming to pick me up now so we can go over tryout schedules."

Cato shrugged noncommittally, but internally, he breathed a sigh of relief. Another safe day. "Okay, we can hang out some other time."

Joining him to lean against her Benz, Clove reached up to brush her lips against his, "Tomorrow?"

"Yeah, we can play Mario Kart or something."

Clove allowed Cato to gently push her against the car, trapping her in between the hot metal and his unyielding, rock hard body. His fingers burned a path down her waist. Smiling up at him, Clove murmured, "I'd like that."

Suddenly, the sound of an approaching car caused Cato to step back from Clove's intoxicating body reluctantly. Johanna's SUV screeched to a halt on the large driveway. "Get in, Windsor."

Clove rolled her eyes, but Cato knew it was just for show. She and Johanna had a fiercely competitive relationship, but at the end of the day, they were good friends. "Calm the fuck down, Mason!"

"Then get in! We have shit to do!"

Clove smiled at Cato, "See you later, Cates."

Cato groaned at the nickname. She had come up with it in grade school, and it never failed to annoy him. "Bye Clo."

A horn cut through the air, "You'll see her tomorrow, Einhardt. I'll return Princess to you completely unharmed."

Clove huffed and climbed into Johanna's car. She waved to Cato one last time before Johanna zoomed off.

"So you and Cato looked pretty cozy," Johanna observed knowingly.

Clove fiddled with the air conditioning, "Wouldn't you like to know, Hanna?"

Johanna and Clove shared one of those secretive laughs only girls can, and the subject was dropped in favor for who would be the new field hockey goalie this year.

.

Cato groaned as Boggs, his family's manservant and butler, knocked on the door to his bedroom. "Boggs, it's eight in the morning- what?!"

"Mr. Einhardt, it's a telephone call from the houseline." Cato blinked slowly and stumbled out of bed. Hardly anyone called the landline to reach Cato. He grabbed the phone from Boggs and launched himself back into the bed. "Hello?" He landed sloppily on his stomach before wrapping the covers around himself again.

"Cato?" the distinctive slightly hoarse yet sweet voice sounded anxious in his ear.

Cato bolted up suddenly, "Glimmer?"

"Yeah…."

"Glimmer, where are you? Clove's getting suspicious. How could you just leave without telling any of us?"

"I'm in Virginia, at boarding school. I… I had to leave."

"Without saying something? Clove really misses you."

She bit her lip to stop it from trembling. "Just Clove?" It was stupid for her to believe that maybe her and Cato could have something. Even after that night, it was always about Clove.

Cato sighed and ran his hand through his hair, "You know I didn't mean it like that."

Glimmer swallowed and concentrated on telling Cato why she had called in the first place. "I was late, Cato." It was only after her last talk with Clove had reminded her that her usually punctual monthly cycle had been disrupted.

"Late to where?" he asked stupidly.

"_Late_ late," Glimmer replied as patiently as she could. "Like possibly pregnant late."

"…. wait…. shit." There was a long pause as Cato struggled to come to terms with the new information. "Are you sure?"

"I took a test and it didn't come back positive." She would never ever be able to describe the relief she felt at that blue negative sign. "But it could have. Then what would we have done?"

"…. so you're not pregnant?"

"No," Glimmer snapped. "But I think it would have been a little difficult to explain to Clove, if I had been." She sighed and checked if anyone in the crowded library was listening. "I left because it was just easier, okay? I cleaned up our little mess so you can go live out your perfect romance with Clove."

"Glimmer….."

"I didn't do it for you, Cato, so don't beat yourself up over it. I did it for Clove- she doesn't need to ever know about what happened, okay? Just…. just forget it ever happened. Okay?" Another pause. "Look, I have to go now."

"Wait, Glimmer-"

"This is a payphone, so don't bother trying to call back."

Cato sighed as the dial tone rang in his ear. Maybe Glimmer was right- she had made the ultimate sacrifice of leaving so that everything could go back to being normal.

_Or at least as normal as things can be after you fucked Clove's best friend. _

So maybe he should start acting like things were normal, because then, eventually they would be. Cato needed to go on living his life and stop dwelling on the past. Clove was here, waiting for him, finally ready to be with him. What she never found out couldn't hurt her, right?

At least, that's what he told himself so that he could sleep at night.

.

Clove held a clipboard in her hand as she walked amongst the girls seated on the ground. "Okay, so that's it for today. Johanna's going to stretch with you guys so that you'll be ready for another tough try-out day tomorrow. Don't forget, we're running the mile tomorrow!" The girls all groaned but quieted quickly as Clove gave them a disdainful look.

_It's good to be queen._

Johanna bellowed at the girls to form four lines, and Clove busily scribbled on her spreadsheet. Rue, a rising sophomore, had a good chance of making varsity this year- they needed a nimble, sneaky attack player. However, pulling Rue up from JV would mean that another upperclassman would be cut.

Suddenly, a pair of broad arms snuck around her waist. She shrieked, whirling around to smack Cato on the head with the clipboard. "Don't sneak up on me!"

"Jesus, it's just me!" Cato rubbed his head reproachfully.

She smirked, "What makes you think that I didn't know who it was?"

He pouted, and her heart fluttered a little. "That's the thanks I get for setting up the net for you today?"

Clove smacked him again in the shoulder, "You already _got_ your thanks, greedy."

His grin widened as he remembered the steamy gratitude Clove had shown him in the storage shed. His jersey had been ripped off of him, and Clove had let him sneak his hand up her sports bra. Who knows how far they would have gone, if it hadn't been for the unfortunately timed sprinkler. Clove ignored the giggles and whispers of the girls behind her as Cato tucked some hair behind her ear. "You want to hang out after practice? Finnick invited everyone to his pool."

Clove bit her lip and turned around to glance at Johanna. The other girl had been supervising the girls' stretching but was currently staring at the couple with a raised eyebrow. The two girls shared a look, and Clove remembered Johanna's advice from last Friday.

.

_The two were vegging out in Johanna's room, the tryout's diagrams and schedules forgotten. Johanna absently shoveled popcorn into her mouth, while Clove reclined lazily on Johanna's fuzzy rug. "So, Clover," Johanna started. "What's the deal with you and Prince Charming?" _

_Clove squeezed her eyes shut. "Ugh, don't remind me." _

_Johanna, sensing gossip, sat up a little higher and scooted to the edge of her bed to peer at Clove. "What's wrong? Cato finally making a move?" _

_Sighing and rolling over to face Johanna, "Not even." Clove paused and wondered why she was spilling all of this to Johanna. The two were friends…. but usually she confided in Glimmer. With a sad pang, she realized that she didn't have that luxury anymore. _

_Johanna's big brown eyes somehow got even larger. "Spill," she ordered._

"_You have to promise not to tell anyone." _

_Johanna held up her hand in a solemn oath. "You know I wouldn't, Clove." It was true: Johanna, although prickly and a downright bitch sometimes, was the most loyal person she knew. In some ways, she would be the best person to vent to. _

_Clove fiddled with the ends of her hair, avoiding looking up and meeting Johanna's inquisitive gaze. "I hinted to Cato that maybe I wanted to be more than friends…. and he just told me he didn't want to label our relationship and confuse ourselves." _

_Johanna sat up completely at this point, "What the fuck does that mean?" _

"_Right? And then we made out for a while. I think he might just be using me- but it's Cato…" _

"_Fuck that-"_

"_And to top it all off, Glimmer's gone AWOL and is apparently attending boarding school in Virginia. It's like, I leave for two months, and when I come back, I'm in the freaking Twilight Zone."_

"_Whoa, rewind. Glimmer moved?" _

"_Kind of, I mean her family's still here. I don't even know why she left." _

"_Well, she was always kind of flighty….. Anyways, with Cato, you've just got to show him who's boss." _

_This got Clove's attention. "And how do I exactly do that?" _

"_You've got to force his hand. Show him what he's missing, be a tease, don't always give him what he wants…" _

"_You mean stop spending time with him?" _

"_God no, if anything, you're going to have to let him get to at least second base with you." Clove blushed. "Is that going to be a problem?" _

_She attempted to play it cool, "No, no it's fine." _

"_Then you have to your body do the persuading. Get him all hot and bothered, and then- BAM- shut him down and force him to DTR." _

"_DTR?" _

"_Y' know, define the relationship. The key is to confuse him- never let him take you for granted." Johanna finished with a wise nod. Johanna Mason was the master of getting what she wanted, she could handle boys as deftly as a circus ringmaster. Clove decided to trust her advice. What else could she do? _

"_Okay, I'll try that." She unwrapped a granola bar and began to munch on it. "Oh, and Johanna? If you ever tell _anyone _about this, I _will _kill you."_

_._

Clove sighed and turned back to face Cato. "I can't," she lied. "Me and Johanna have to go discuss cuts with Enobaria."

He frowned before pulling her closer to him, "Okay, but I'm a little disappointed I don't get to see you in a bikini." Clove fought back another blush- what was wrong with her today?

_I think it's called love, sweetie. _

She blew her whistle just as Cato began to lean in for a kiss. "Alright ladies," she yelled, ripping herself from Cato's grip abruptly. "That's it for the second day of tryouts!" She walked back to the group of exhausted girls, leaving a confused Cato in the dust.

Winking at Johanna, Clove mentally gave herself a pat on the back.

.

"So Marvel, was it?" Johanna Mason strode up to him after the very same practice. She glistened with sweat in the sun, face flushed from field hockey practice. She undid her hair and let it fall down her back in a beautiful, relaxed wave of light brown hair. As it swayed behind her, he caught a streak of purple on the back of her hair.

His eyes trailed up her long legs, emphasized by her short shorts and the shin guards rolled down her ankles. "Yup, nice to meet you," he said politely. He recognized this girl from Finnick's party by her big brown eyes. "You're Johanna, right?"

"I am," she confirmed. She had noticed his eyes lingering on her figure and figured it was the best way to wheedle information out of him. "We didn't get properly introduced earlier this summer, but I'm friends with Clove." She sat down next to him and began to help him roll up the training equipment. "Harsh of Cato and Peeta to make you clean up all this stuff by yourself."

He shrugged good-naturedly. "I didn't do much at practice because of my arm." Marvel had sprained his arm a few days ago while scrimmaging and was relegated to wearing an ACE bandage.

Johanna made a sympathetic face, "Ouch- aren't you worried about making the team?"

"Not really, I'm pretty much the only one suited to playing right mid. Cato basically promised me the spot."

Johanna began to gather the soccer ball into the large mesh bag. "That was nice of him. Cato's a good guy."

Marvel nodded stiffly, trying not to remember the gossip he had pieced together. "… look, Johanna, this is really nice of you- but why are you helping me?"

She seemed a little sad, "I was just trying to be friendly. You seemed like a nice guy."

Great, now he looked like an asshole. Shit- was she crying? He hesitantly placed a cautious arm around her shoulders. "I didn't mean it like that."

All of a sudden, she turned to face him again, brown eyes snapping dangerously. "Then tell me what you know about Cato." He must have seen bewildered, because she pressed on. "You didn't expect me to notice that look in your eyes just now?"

Who _was_ this girl? Marvel played dumb. "I don't know what you're talking about," he insisted.

Johanna softened slightly, "I don't mean any trouble. It's just…. Clove is my friend, and I care about her." Her big brown eyes gazed up at him imploringly, "Are you really saying that there's not something wrong?" With a mournful sigh, "I just don't want her to get hurt, y'know?"

Marvel felt an inexplicable urge to tell this strange girl. He couldn't describe it- it was just something about her. "Okay, okay….." he licked his lips once. "I think Cato and Glimmer slept together over the summer, and that's why she left."

Johanna blinked once in shock. The news echoed in her head- Jesus, she didn't expect anything like _that_. How was she supposed to tell Clove something like that?"

He continued, "I mean, I'm not sure, so-"

She cut him off, "-don't worry, I'm in no hurry to tell Clove this." She snapped out of her trance, "Well, thanks for the help, Marvel. I really appreciate it; see you at my party on Friday!" And with that, she swiftly kissed him on the cheek and headed off towards the girls locker room.

Shocked, Marvel finished cleaning up by himself. Who _was _this girl? He couldn't shake the feeling that he had been played. One thing was for sure: the beautiful Johanna Mason was a force to be reckoned with- and not to be underestimated.

.

Johanna's house could really only be described as an estate. A large mansion comprised the "main house", with two large guest houses situated in the backyard. She lived a few minutes away from the gated neighborhood where Clove, Glimmer, Finnick, and Marvel all lived, but the sprawling grounds easily made up for the additional distance. "Shit," Marvel breathed, as he walked towards the backyard. "What do Johanna's parents _do_?"

"Her dad is some powerful Asian businessman. He owns a lot of companies in Taiwan or something," Annie explained. That explained Johanna's mixed, exotic appearance. "You should probably know that Johanna's mom died when she was little though, she doesn't like it when people bring it up." Marvel felt a pang of sympathy for the mysterious girl. As nagging and irritating as his parents could be, he could never imagine living without them.

As they reached the backyard, the rest of the group greeted them. "Finally!" Peeta greeted. "You're just in time."

Marvel waved to everyone as Finnick, Annie, and him made their way towards them. "Sorry we're late."

"For what?" Annie asked with confusion. "I thought that this was just going to be chill."

Clove smirked from her lounge chair, "That's what we thought too- but it seems that our dear Ms. Mason decided to throw a rager instead."

.

"Hey, stranger," Clove called as she walked through the kitchen door from the backyard. Outside, hordes of teenagers were getting drunk. She had come in for a moment of reprieve, but finding Cato was just icing on the cake. She fingered at her dress coyly after hopping up to sit on the marble island in the middle of Johanna's large, stainless steel kitchen. "Having fun?"

He popped open a can of soda he had found in the refrigerator. "Yeah, did you watch me kick ass at football earlier?" Before the partiers had arrived, they had all enjoyed a game of touch football- meaning that the boys had played while the girls had gossiped. He took a long gulp of Coke and handed the can to Clove automatically.

She in turn took a sip of soda from the shared drink. Clove kept her doe eyes trained on him as she delicately licked the rim of the can of the residual sugary sweet drink. When she saw his eyes darken a little, she smiled in triumph, "Come here," she said huskily.

Cato walked to stand in front of her, casually placing his large hands on her delicate thighs. She played with the buttons of Cato's shirt, trying to ignore the heat pooling between her legs as he slowly stroked her legs through her skirt.

"I saw Finnick score all those touchdowns," she teased playfully, staring into his dark blue eyes. "I don't remember seeing you kick any ass."

"You were probably distracted because I was shirtless," Cato pointed out reasonably.

Clove flushed a little pink, caught. "Was not," she insisted. She pressed a lingering kiss to his lips. He smiled at the soda-sweet taste of her. "…Okay," her lips quirked up into a deliciously sneaky smile. "Maybe I was a little distracted."

"I knew it," he boasted, before cupping her face with both of his hands and guiding it to his. He kissed her hard, tongue sliding against hers, head tilted so that his mouth could slant to fit perfectly against hers. She whimpered desperately and tugged on his hair, hard. "Relax Clove," he instructed in a soothing voice when they finally broke apart. Cato shamelessly smirked at the fact that he could make Clove become undone so easily.

She panted hard, causing her chest to heave exaggeratedly. Her eyes were wide with want, her hair a little bit mussed after his hand had run through it. Clove began to sweetly nibble at his jaw, and when Cato groaned in approval, she began to lick at the shell of his ear lightly. "Clove," he growled. "You don't know what you're getting yourself into."

"I think I do," she breathed into his ear. Clove grabbed him by the front of the shirt and yanked him towards her. She spread her legs a little bit so he could push himself closer to her and she could wrap her legs around his waist. She whimpered as she tightened her legs, forcing Cato to press even more relentlessly into her.

He didn't even bother to hide his throbbing erection any more. Instead, Cato's kisses became more aggressive, as he nipped and bruised her already swollen lips. Clove moaned into his mouth loudly, and her hand snaked its way between them to squeeze his hardened member.

"Holy shit!"

The two broke apart at the surprised squeak to see Finnick, Annie and Johanna. The three intruders at the glass sliding door all wore similar expressions of shock and awe.

.

After an awkward and tense moment of silence, Finnick burst out laughing. "About time!" he roared. Annie gave them an apologetic look and hauled Finnick out of the house, smacking his head for being so obnoxious.

Johanna, however, stood stonily as Cato and Clove untangled themselves. Cato mumbled something about getting another drink and winked at Clove, before leaving as well. The kitchen was quiet as Clove patted down her clothes and attempted to fix her hair.

Clove turned to Johanna and, as if nothing was out of the ordinary, airily chirped, "Mason! This isn't a bad party, I'm impressed!"

Johanna's expression brightened slightly as she accepted the infrequent compliment from Clove. However, her face suddenly deflated as she remembered what she needed to do. Someone was going to get hurt- she needed to tell Clove the truth. "Can we talk alone?"

Clove, sensing her inner turmoil, grew concerned. "Hanna, what's wrong?"

Johanna's big brown eyes looked sympathetically at Clove. "Mason, snap out of it! What the hell is wrong?"

.

Clove remembered the five stages to acceptance from Psych class last year.

First, denial.

"No," she shook her head, ignoring the bile rising in her throat. "I know you wouldn't lie to me, Johanna, but you must've heard wrong. Cato wouldn't…. He- I would know." Clove knew Cato loved her, even if they weren't official. She had seen it in his eyes first when she had been twelve, and that look had never gone away since. There was no way that Cato would choose Glimmer over her. But Glimmer had left mysteriously… and Cato had seemed more distant recently…

Johanna shook her head vehemently. "Clove, you know I wouldn't tell you something unless I was sure. I'm sorry."

Next, anger.

Clove squeezed her eyes shut tightly. Try as she might, she couldn't help but imagine it. How Cato and Glimmer were both so golden and beautiful and fucking effortless. How they probably fit together perfectly-like her and Cato never really could. How she was probably their little joke, pathetic little Clove. Cato was likely having a good laugh over this one- he got to sleep with Glimmer before she left and had Clove practically throwing her virginity in his face, begging him to take it. Glimmer and Cato, who had always looked like a matching set. Of course, he would pick Glimmer, who was gorgeous and carefree and curvy and blue-eyed. Why would he ever pick her- she was small and abrasive and uptight. She had thought that Cato was different but-

All this made her sick.

"And how exactly are you sure? Did you see it yourself?!" When Johanna shook her head, "See? God Mason! What would lead your miserable brain to believe something like that!" Clove shrieked, taking her anger out on the nearest victim. But Johanna didn't yell back, she only gave her that pitying, knowing look. Somehow, it was infinitely worse.

"Look Clove… I only told you because I respect you. You deserve more than that asshole." Someone called out Johanna's name outside. "You okay?" Johanna asked. Clove ignored her and stared at the woodwork on the cabinets above her instead. With one last look, Johanna left, and the door slammed shut behind her.

After anger came bargaining.

If only she had told Cato how she had felt before she had left. If she hadn't been so scared by her own damn feelings. If she wasn't so abrasive. If she had been prettier, curvier, nicer. She would be nicer to everyone, would stop eating so much after practice-

Step four was supposed to be depression.

But that's where she deviated. She was _Clove fucking Windsor_ and she was unconquerable. She refused to be upset about what some fuck-up did- even if it was Cato. Instead, she straightened her dress, held her head up high, and rejoined the party in search of a strong drink.

.

_Maybe what happened this summer wouldn't ruin everything._ That's all Cato could think about, and that hope made him embarrassingly giddy. That look Clove had given him had said that she wanted him- and that outweighed the guilt gnawing at his stomach. Glimmer was gone; maybe the truth would never come out.

After a few minutes, Clove still hadn't come out to find him, so Cato decided to find her. He pushed through the crowds, and found her talking to Gale by the guesthouse. She was turned away from Cato's field of vision, and it seemed to be a tense conversation. Clove's shoulders were stiff and unforgiving, and Gale's jaw jutted angrily. Gale started to speak, but Clove placed a restraining hand on his arm.

Cato walked up to the pair. "What's going on, guys?" Gale's fists clenched at the first sight at him, and Clove's lips pursed. "'What's going on- I'll tell you-" Gale started to say.

Clove squeezed his arm, "Gale, not now." Gale started to protest, but Clove nodded dismissively. "I want to talk to him alone." Her cousin glared at Cato for an uncomfortable few seconds but finally stomped off.

"What's his problem?" Cato asked as he wrapped his arm around Clove's waist. For such a small girl, she fit perfectly against him.

Clove wiggled out of his grasp, feeling sick. "Don't touch me."

Cato looked at her, confused. "Wait- what? What's wrong?" But from Clove's scowl and look of disgust, he suddenly realized what must have happened.

"I know," she whispered dangerously. He practically couldn't hear her over the thumping base of the music playing in the background. He almost wished he couldn't.

"Know- know what?" he feigned ignorance.

"Is it true?" she asked defeatedly. Cato saw the beautiful girl in front of him, and only saw what he had turned her into- a sad, self-conscious girl. It broke his heart. Not for the first time, he cursed that night and what alcohol had ruined. He wished he could tell her it wasn't true, but he finally couldn't bring himself to lie to Clove.

Clove Windsor deserved the truth. She deserved the world and she had been his. The gravity of the situation took his breath away. This was it. It was time to face the consequences- but he couldn't bring himself to say it.

Amazingly, Cato's silence and its implication seemed to make her stronger. Her shoulders straightened, and when Cato tried to get Clove to look into his eyes with a gentle hand to her chin, she jerked away. "Don't touch me," she spat out acridly.

"Clove please," he begged, desperate for something he shouldn't have let himself get used to.

"Don't 'Clove please' me! You- you-" she broke off again. Tears pricked the back of her eyes.

"Why do you care?" He realized too late that was the wrong thing to say.

Clove's pretty eyes narrowed forebodingly. "Why do I care?" she repeated in a screeching tone. She calmed herself and exhaled slowly. She ran a hand through her hair in an attempt to stop herself from losing her temper.

"I've got to get out of here," she muttered to herself. Not sparing Cato another glance, she walked out back towards the party.

"Clove!" he called pleadingly. "Wait!"

But she was gone. For the first time in her life, Clove Windsor had walked out on Cato Einhardt.

.

Marvel fished for his keys in his pants pockets. As lame as it sounded, he was really tired from practice and had decided to turn in early. "Wait!" Clove gasped from behind him as she burst out of the front door of Johanna's house.

"What's up, Clove?" he asked concernedly. He took in her anxious face and teary eyes. "What's wrong?"

"I just- I just need to get out of here," she pleaded desperately. "Can you take me with you?"

Alarmed, Marvel nodded. Just then, Cato strode around the large house searching for her, and Clove's eyes widened. "Now?" she urged.

Marvel led her to his BMW and quickly started the car as she climbed into the passenger seat. "Do you want me to give you a ride home?"

Clove blinked rapidly, as if she had forgotten that he was talking to her. "-oh…. uhm…. no. Not my house." That was the first place Cato would look for her.

"Where to?" He said as he peeled out of Johanna's gravel driveway.

As they turned the corner and left the large estate, Clove's phone began to ring. She silenced it without a glance. With a strained voice, Clove closed her eyes, "Anywhere but here."

* * *

**Dun dun dun. So Clove finally found out, and we get to flesh out Johanna's character. I actually really like her, so she will be featured heavily in this story. I'm also already toying with the idea of writing a sequel focused on her- but I obviously am getting way ahead of myself and need to focus on this story and Heartlines primarily. Ooops can't won't stop. **

**So, what do you think will happen next? Leave your thoughts, comments, guesses in a review. I really appreciate all your reviews guys- getting that email notification always brings a smile to my face!**

**P.S. Had to add a shoutout to one of my guilty pleasures, Awkward. Tell me in a review if you caught it!**


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